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«J9 


THE  AMEEICAN  KED  CKOSS 
IN  THE  GREAT  WAR 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

MBW  YORK  •    BOSTON   •    CHICAGO  •    DALLAS 
ATLANTA  •    SAN   FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO..  Limited 

LONDON  •    BOMBAY  •    CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


NATIONAL  HEADQUARTERS  OF  THE 
AMERICAN  RED  CROSS 


THE  AMERICAN  RED  CROSS 
IN  THE  GREAT  WAR 


BY 

HENRY   P.   DAVISON 

CHAIRMAN    OF    THE    WAR    COUNCIL 
OF    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS 


NetD  gorfe 

THE  MACMILLAN   COMPANY 
1919 

All  rights  reterved 


COPTBIGHT,   1919, 

Bt  the  AMERICAN  NATIONAL  RED  CROSS 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.     Published  October,  1919. 


Nor&joolj  ^rrss 

J.  S.  Gushing  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 

Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


Dedicated 

TO 

THE   MILLIONS   OF   WOMEN 

CHILDREN   AND    MEN 

WHO 

THROUGH 

THE    AMERICAN    RED    CROSS 

WORKED   AND   SACRIFICED 

THAT  THE   MISERY   OF 

WAR   ftOGHT   BE 

ALLEVIATED 


FOREWORD 

It  is  the  effort  of  this  book  to  set  forth  the  scope,  char- 
acter and  effect  of  the  work  of  the  American  Red  Cross  during 
the  Great  War.  When  the  war  closed  more  than  thirty 
million  Americans  were  enrolled  in  the  organization.  Some 
of  these  were  in  foreign  fields ;  most  of  them  were  at  home. 
But,  in  one  way  or  another,  they  were  all  helping.  All  of 
them  working  together  made  up  the  American  Red  Cross. 

Stories  of  special  sacrifice  or  devotion  cannot  be  given  here 
and  yet  few  organizations  have  so  closely  touched  the  great 
currents  of  human  hfe.  Detailed  narratives  will  accordingly 
follow  this  book.  I  have  sought  here  to  summarize  the 
work  of  the  thirty  millions  as  a  whole.  To  characterize 
the  Red  Cross  work  of  any  man  or  woman,  or  to  attempt 
to  describe  it  with  any  regard  to  proper  perspective,  would 
be  invidious  if  not  impossible.  I  have  therefore  omitted 
the  mention  of  names.  The  highest  satisfaction  any  worker 
in  the  Red  Cross  can  derive  from  his  work  is  from  the  fact 
that  the  work  itself  was  well  done. 

The  files  of  the  War  Council  have  been  freely  drawn 
upon  in  the  preparation  of  this  book.  And  I  want  to  make 
special  acknowledgment  to  every  member  of  the  force  at 
headquarters,  and  to  the  special  correspondents  and  staffs 
of  our  foreign  commissions,  who  seemingly  have  vied  with 
one  another  in  supplying  me,  either  orally  or  in  writing,  with 
material  without  which  the  scope  of  this  book  could  not  be 
what  it  is.  Indeed  it  may  accurately  be  said  that  the  book 
itself  is  a  product  of  the  American  Red  Cross. 

H.  P.  Davison. 

New  York, 

September  20,  1919. 


CONTENTS 

PART  I 

CHAPTER  FAOE 

I.    When  the  Storm  Burst 1 

II.    Massing  the  Forces  of  Mercy 12 

III.  The  Comradeship  —  Divisions  and  Chapters      .        .  23 

IV.  Work  for  the  Soldier  at  Home          ....  37 
V.     The  Navy 52 

VI.    Home  Service 65 

VII.    Soldiers  of  the  Cross 78 

VIII.     Mobilizing  the  Children 93 

IX.  Supplies  and  Transportation        .        .        .        .        .  107 

X.    The  Disabled  Soldier  122 

PART  II 

XI,    On  the  Battlefront 132 

XII.    "Backing  Up  the  French" 151  " 

XIII.  The  Children  of  France 163^ 

XIV.  Switzerland  the  Central  Station       ....  179 
XV.    Belgium 193 

XVI.    The  Story  of  Italy 207 

XVII.    Great  Britain 222 

XVIII.    Rumania 233 

XIX.    The  Tragedy  of  the  East 252 

XX.    Russia 267 

XXI.  The  League  of  Red  Cross  Societies  ....  282 

XXII.    Appendix 291 

ix 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Lithograph  by  Joseph  Pennell Frontispiece 

PACING  PAGE 

An  American  Red  Cross  Summons 14 

Enrollment  of  the  Men  of  Ward  A  at  Dartford  Hospital  in  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross  for  the  Christmas  Drive 20 

American  Red  Cross  Chapter  Scene,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.          ...  30 
A  Camp  Study  in  Black  and  White  as  it  Appeared  to  American  Red 

Cross  Workers 42 

New  Sweaters  for  Old  at  Fort  Oglethorpe 46 

These  English  Pines  are  on  the  Grounds  of  the  American  Red  Cross 

Base  Hospital  at  Dartford,  near  London 56 

Bathing  and  Disinfecting  Plant  in  England  Loaned  by  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross 60 

The  Home  Service  Office  of  the  American  Red  Cross  at  the  Union 

Station,  Washington,  D.  C 70 

The  American  Red  Cross  Serving  Our  Colored  Troops     ...  74 

The  Greatest  Red  Cross  Parade  ever  Held  in  America     ...  86 
Members  of  the  Junior  Red  Cross  at  Work  in  a  Schoolroom    .        .100 

The  Gauze  Cutter 112 

American  Red  Cross  Motor  Ambulances,  Hospital  Tents,  and  Other 

Supplies  in  the  Courtyard  of  the  Palais  Royal  in  Paris      .        .116 
American  Red  Cross  Moving  Pictures  in  Ward  at  Walter  Reed  Hos- 
pital in  Washington 124 

Rebuilding  the  Human  Face 126 

A  Senegalese  Soldier  who  has  Lost  Both  Arms,  Writing  to  Thank  the 

American  Red  Cross  for  His  New  Pair  of  Artificial  Arms  .         .  128 
A  Scene  in  a  Convalescent  House  of  the  American  Red  Cross  in  the 

United  States 130 

An  American  Red  Cross  Rolling  Canteen 138 

The  American  Red  Cross  at  the  Front  in  France      ....  144 
A  Room  in  the  Office  of  the  American  Red  Cross  in  Paris        .        .152 

Happy  to  See  Their  Own  Country  at  Last 160 

Repatriated  Hospital  Children  in  France 168 

Five  Little  Youngsters  All  Tucked  in  Bed 174 

A  Source  of  Malaria  and  Other  Disease  Removed  by  the  Red  Cross  194 

xi 


XU  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACIXa   PAGE 

The  Ceremony  in  the  Coliseum  Held  upon  the  Anniversary  of  the 
United  States'  Entry  into  the  War  in  Honor  of  the  Work  of  the 

American  Red  Cross 208 

Children  at  Perugia  Receiving  American  Red  Cross  Clothing  .        .    210 
Yarn  Supplied  by  the  American  Red  Cross  being  Weighed  before 

Distribution  to  the  Refugees  at  Tivoli,  Italy     .        .        .        .212 
In  Front  of  the  American  Red  Cross  Recreatorio  at  Fiesole       .        .    214 

American  Red  Cross  Warehouses  at  Milan 216 

American  Red  Cross  Workroom  at  Rimini 218 

An  American  Red  Cross  Canteen  in  England 222 

American  Soldiers  Seeing  London  from  an  American  Red  Cross 

Omnibus 224 

Central  Building  of  the  American  Red  Cross  Hospital  at  Salisbury, 

England 226 

At  Work  in  the  Laboratory  of  a  British  Base  Hospital     .        .        .    228 
American  Red  Cross  Convalescent  Hospital  for  Officers  at  Lingfield, 

England 230 

The  King  and  Queen  of  Rumania  Returning  from  a  Visit  to  a  Red 

Cross  Hospital  at  the  Front 242 

Some  of  the  1500  Armenian  Exiles  as  Seen  by  the  Red  Cross  Com- 
mission       260 

"Is  Everybody  Happy?" 272 

An  American  Red  Cross  Dental  Station  in  Serbia,  Three  Quarters 

of  a  Mile  from  the  Front  Line  Trenches 278 

"Secondary  Aid" 286 


THE  AMERICAN  RED  CROSS 
IN  THE  GREAT  WAR 


THE   AMERICAN   RED    CROSS 
IN   THE    GREAT   WAR 

PART  I 
CHAPTER  I 

WHEN   THE    STORM   BURST 

Nationalization  —  President  Wilson  Becomes  President  of  the  Red  Cross 
—  Red  Cross  Mercy  Ship  —  Increase  in  Membership  —  American 
Rehef  Clearing  House  in  Paris  —  Departure  of  the  German  Am- 
bassador from  Washington  —  President  Declares  War  —  Appoint- 
ment of  the  War  Council  —  The  First  Drive  for  $100,000,000. 

IN  the  year  1905  the  American  National  Red  Cross, 
profiting,  perhaps,  not  a  little  by  the  lessons  of  the 
Spanish  War,  was  finally  and  permanently  incorporated  and 
nationalized ;  the  President  of  the  United  States  became  its 
president ;  and  the  War  Department  its  auditor.  It  had 
behind  it  the  full  sponsorship  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment; its  books  were  open;  it  was  the  property  of  the 
people  and  in  their  hands.  In  that  sense,  and  in  almost  no 
other,  it  was  ready  for  the  frightful  thing  that  Germany 
was  preparing  for  the  world. 

It  is,  of  course,  not  my  intention  to  do  more  than  refer 
to  the  activities  of  the  Red  Cross  of  that  day.  Save  for 
prompt  and  effective  relief  to  sufferers  from  fire  and  flood 
and  every  other  form  of  calamity,  no  matter  where  occur- 
ring, it  pursued  a  helpful  but  on  the  whole  rather  a  pacific 


2       THE  AMERICAN   RED  CROSS  EST  THE   GREAT  WAR 

and  uneventful  course.  The  Red  Cross  of  the  first  three 
years  of  the  Great  War  may,  Ukewise,  be  told  briefly.  All 
the  effort  of  the  organization  at  that  time  —  and  there  was 
earnest  effort,  however  stereotyped,  in  many  directions  — 
may  be  said  to  have  centered  around  the  conscription  of 
funds,  the  enUstment  of  personnel,  and  the  gathering  of 
supplies  to  meet  an  infinitely  greater  demand  for  help  than 
ever  before.  Factories  were  driven  to  top  speed  in  the 
production  of  materials.  Warehouses  were  filled  to  burst- 
ing with  incoming  gifts.  Yet,  in  the  face  of  so  great  a 
necessity,  the  leaders  of  the  Red  Cross  were  hampered 
by  the  laggard  movement  of  monetary  contributions.  The 
psychology  of  this  unwillingness  to  loosen  the  purse-strings 
is  clear  now.  The  truth  was  that  America  was  still  cased 
in  its  shell ;  it  resented  a  war  that  it  did  not  under- 
stand. 

None  the  less,  a  month  after  the  German  troops  crossed 
the  Belgium  border,  a  Red  Cross  ship  sailed  away,  —  a 
German  keel,  painted  with  the  authorized  red  strake  which, 
by  agreement  of  the  nations,  marked  the  mercy  ship,  —  and 
distributed  her  hospital  units  and  medical  supplies,  her 
gauze  and  anaesthetics,  her  hospital  garments,  cigarettes, 
and  camp  comforts  for  the  fighting  men  of  countries  whose 
prayers  had  not  availed  to  save  them  from  this  stroke  of 
manifest  destiny.  Into  France  and  England,  into  Russia 
and  Serbia,  into  every  place  where  the  blight  of  war  had 
fallen,  even  into  Germany,  these  well-chosen  benefactions 
found  their  way.  To  be  sure  it  was  a  very  small  incident, 
this  sailing  of  that  stout  little  ship,  and  in  the  shadow  of  a 
year  or  more  of  vast  accomplishment  no  wonder  that  it 
seems  indistinct  and  ineffably  far  away. 

But  it  is  all  an  old  story  now  — even  that  pregnant  time 
when  surely,  if  slowly,  the  picture  on  our  moral  retina  was 
changing;  when  one  after  another  the  studied  German 
insults,  the  revelation  of  guile,  the  wanton  destruction  of 


WHEN   THE  STORM  BURST 


peaceful  vessels,  the  brutal  violations  of  neutrality,  in 
short,  the  whole  train  of  dehberate  offenses  against  decency, 
were  preparing  the  inevitable  result. 


Nothing  could  be  more  dramatic  than  the  change  that 
came  over  the  United  States  in  the  first  three  months  of  the 
year  1917.  It  was  almost  magical  in  its  swiftness.  The 
war  was  at  the  summit  of  its  intensity ;  the  tortured  Allies, 
armies  and  populace  alike,  had  come  almost  to  the  extremity 
of  effort ;  '  conditions  in  France  were  as  ominous  as  they 
were  heartbreaking.  This  supreme  moment  found  many 
people  without  the  bare  necessities  of  life.  The  roads 
were  full  of  the  homeless,  the  hungry,  and  the  half  clad. 
The  cities  were  clogged  with  them !  Simultaneously,  in 
the  United  States,  the  weary  period  of  inaction  was  drawing 
to  its  end.  The  signs  were  no  longer  to  be  misread.  Honor 
had  been  stretched  to  its  last  shred  of  endurance  and  con- 
tinued peace,  it  was  plain,  could  only  be  had  at  the  price  of 
shame.  During  all  this  wi'etched  time  the  conduct  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  was,  to  say  the  least,  most  credit- 
able. Crippled  by  public  inertia,  by  the  popular  inclination 
to  keep  out  of  war  at  all  hazards,  those  who  guided  the 
destinies  of  the  organization  nevertheless  strained  every 
nerve,  utilized  every  resource,  to  prepare  for  the  storm  which 
they  knew  was  bound  to  come.  They  were  held  back  by 
the  ancient  habit  of  the  people  —  of  waiting  to  give  to  the 
Red  Cross  until  some  great  catastrophe  had  shocked  the 
world  and  newspaper  pictures  from  the  zone  of  disaster 
furnished  ocular  proof  of  ruin,  disease,  and  starvation. 
Day  and  night,  however,  they  labored,  formulating  plans, 
creating  a  nucleus  which  proved  of  inexpressible  value 
when  the  day  of  trial  arrived,  and  saved  months  of  slow 
and  retarding  toil.  By  dint  of  the  most  industrious  and 
carefully  organized  effort  they  increased  the  membership 


4      THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS  IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

in  a  few  months  from  22,000  to  280,000,  and  the  number  of 
Chapters  by  more  than  a  hundred. 

At  this  period  President  Wilson  penned  an  appeal  to  the 
American  people  on  behalf  of  this  sorely  tried  organization, 
in  which  he  said  :  ''It  is  for  you  to  decide  whether  the  most 
prosperous  nation  in  the  world  will  allow  its  national  relief 
organization  to  keep  up  with  its  work  or  withdraw  from  a 
field  where  there  exists  the  greatest  need  ever  recorded  in 
history." 

And  even  the  President's  summons  failed  to  arouse  the 
people  from  their  lethargy. 

Dissecting  the  miUtary  and  civilian  needs,  incident  to  the 
creation  of  an  army,  the  Red  Cross  organized  and  equipped 
base  hospitals  as  rapidly  as  they  could  accumulate  the 
money.  The  service  to  our  forces  on  the  Mexican  border 
had  given  some  opportunity  for  practical  training,  which 
they  improved  to  the  uttermost.  They  directed  their  relief 
work  for  the  Allied  armies  —  such  as  they  were  able  to 
perform  —  through  the  American  Relief  Clearing  House  in 
Paris,  which  had  been  organized  early  in  the  war  to  cen- 
tralize and  promote  all  American  activities.  By  so  doing 
they  fortified  and  insured  the  efficacy  of  that  institution 
which,  afterwards,  was  classed  as  one  of  the  greatest  relief 
organizations  in  Europe.  What  that  alliance  meant  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  from  that  time  on  all  members  of  the 
Clearing  House  wore  the  uniform  of  the  American  Red 
Cross. 

From  February,  1917,  events  moved  with  a  rapidity 
that,  in  retrospect,  leaves  one  almost  breathless,  though  at 
the  time  it  seemed  painfully  slow.  On  the  second  of  Feb- 
ruary Count  Von  Bernstorff,  the  German  Ambassador,  was 
handed  his  papers  and,  on  the  following  day,  the  Red  Cross 
moved  its  scanty  belongings  into  the  New  Memorial  build- 
ing, as  yet  without  heat  and  equipment,  and  still  littered 
with  the  debris  of  construction.     The  vice-chairman  sent 


WHEN   THE    STORM   BURST  5 

out  to  the  267  Chapters  a  telegram  which  deserves  to  be 
immortahzed  in  the  history  of  the  Red  Cross,  and  in  the 
history  of  humanity,  as  a  master-work  of  preparedness :  — 

"If  not  alread}'  active  appoint  following  committees  :  finance,  hospital 
garments  and  surgical  supplies,  comfort  bags  (see  Circular  126),  packing 
and  shipping,  publicity  and  information,  motor  ser\ice ;  appoint  com- 
mittee on  cooperation  ^dth  outside  organizations.  ...  If  not  already 
done  appoint  committee  on  education  (outHned  in  Circular  144).  .  .  . 
Possibility  of  organizing  sanitary  training  detachments  should  be  taken 
up  at  once.     (See  Circular  136.) " 

That  was  on  a  Saturday.  On  Sunday  and  for  many 
long  days  afterward  the  answers  by  wire  and  mail  came 
pouring  into  the  great  building.  The  marble  halls  were 
crowded  with  stenographers,  who  worked  from  dawn  till 
dark  and  long  after  in  a  temperature  far  below  freezing, 
answering  the  thousands  of  letters  that  came  from  all 
comers  of  the  country  asking  for  orders  or  instructions  how 
to  form  Chapters. 

Then  March  came  with  its  swift  making  of  history :  the 
Zimmermann  note  stripped  off  Germany's  mask ;  and  the 
House  upheld  the  bill  for  the  arming  of  American  merchant- 
men. Inauguration  Day,  usually  a  pompous  ceremonial, 
passed  like  a  m.ere  incident  in  the  Washington  routine. 
Two  days  later  the  last  Romanoff  abandoned  in  terror  the 
throne  of  all  the  Russias  and  the  German  annihilation  of 
the  Eastern  front  had  begun.  The  German  plot  for  a 
Hindu  uprising  in  India  startled  England.  Three  American 
ships  in  a  day  went  down  before  the  German  submarines. 
Berhn  was  ''bitterly  surprised"  at  America's  resentment, 
and  fifteen  thousand  people  crowded  in  Madison  Square 
Garden  and  cheered  for  war.  The  pacifists  were  pleading 
for  delay  with  a  thousand  tongues,  and  the  ''willful  men"  in 
the  Senate  still  struggled  to  keep  the  muzzle  on  the  dogs  of 
war. 

And  then,  decently  and  in  order,  the  thing  was  done.     On 


6      THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS  IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

April  6th  Congress,  called  by  the  President,  in  special 
session,  voted  war.  Twenty  thousand  militia  were  called 
out,  and  then  four  thousand  more ;  enlistment  in  the  Navy 
was  ordered  for  immediate  service  overseas ;  money  was 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  President,  and  the  selective 
draft  system  was  adopted.  Men  in  khaki,  forerum.ers  of 
millions  that  were  to  follow,  began  to  appear  in  the  city 
streets.  English  and  French  Commissions  hurried  to 
America.  The  United  States  was  launched  on  the  greatest 
and  most  perilous  conflict  in  history. 

Meanwhile,  the  Red  Cross,  like  the  Army,  to  the  utmost 
limit  of  its  means  had  mapped  out  the  work  of  the  ''crowded 
hour"  that  was  at  hand.  Base  hospital  units  for  the  Army 
had  been  multiplied  with  all  possible  speed,  and  were  steadily 
increasing  throughout  the  country.  Twenty-five  were  al- 
ready organized  and  equipped  ready  for  service,  and  four 
more  were  in  progress.  Three  field  columns  had  been 
formed,  and  three  additional  bases  for  navy  hospitals  or- 
ganized. Through  the  Chapters  and  other  organizations, 
surgical  dressings,  garments,  and  other  supplies  to  the  value 
of  eight  thousand  dollars  for  each  unit  had  been  made  and 
contributed,  in  addition  to  all  the  offerings  that  had  already 
been  sent  abroad.  The  Red  Cross  had  enrolled  more  than 
seven  thousand  graduate  nurses,  and  plans  for  the  training 
of  another  regiment  of  nurses  were  under  way.  Even  the 
little  knowledge  that  we  had  at  hand  of  Europe  in  the  throes 
of  war  was  sufficient  to  teach  us  that  every  doctor  and  every 
nurse  should  prepare ;  that  every  city  and  town  should  be 
ready  on  the  instant  to  get  under  its  burden  ;  and  that  volun- 
tary service  and  coordination  of  relief  agencies,  under  the 
Red  Cross,  was  a  crying  necessity. 

Naturally,  the  country  had  no  understanding  of  all  this. 
It  did  not  know  that  the  Red  Cross  was  not  in  shape  to  take 
care  of  an  Army,  although  neither  the  army  nor  the  Red 
Cross  was  blind  to  this  fact.     From  studious  investigations 


WHEN   THE   STORM   BURST  7 

in  Europe  the  Red  Cross  knew  in  detail  the  most  effective 
methods  of  organizing  base  hospitals,  medical  supply  bases, 
ambulance  sections,  ci\'ilian  relief  centers,  and  all  other 
way-stations  of  mercy  and  restoration. 

"I  spent  a  year  and  a  half,"  wrote  one  of  the  organizers  of  that  early 
Red  Cross,  "in  the  heart  of  the  war  in  Europe  —  one  year  of  it  as  the 
American  Delegate  of  the  Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium,  in  charge 
of  the  Belgium  Province  at  Antwerp.  I  saw  how  refugees  must  be  fed 
and  clothed,  sheltered  and  administered  to,  how  those  dependent  on  the 
soldiers  at  the  front  must  be  assisted,  and  how  the  civilian  population 
must  be  organized  and  energized,  if  it  is  to  sur\dve  where  the  waves  of 
war  have  passed  over  it.  To  do  such  work  adequately  means  the  loyal 
support  of  every  man,  woman  and  chUd  in  the  land.  We  have  this  in 
Belgium.  To  do  the  work  which  the  Red  Cross  should  do,  and  must  do, 
in  America,  requires  the  support  of  far  more  members  than  the  American 
Red  Cross  has  to-day.  The  work  should  touch  all  humanity,  alien  or 
friendly,  rich  or  poor,  high  or  low." 

But  while  the  membership  under  active  urging  was  in- 
creasing with  great  rapidity,  the  money  lagged.  It  was 
clear  enough  now  that  the  task  facing  the  Red  Cross  was 
no  longer  a  matter  of  sending  a  Red  Cross  ship  to  scatter  its 
hastily  collected  supplies  around  the  globe.  Red  Cross 
shipments,  if  its  work  was  to  be  competent  and  nearly  equal 
to  the  needs,  would  be  measured  in  fleets ;  and  such  a 
Red  Cross  required  a  wider  horizon,  a  longer  arm,  and  a 
deeper  pocket.  It  had  been  computed  on  the  basis  of  the 
old  condition  that  the  organization  must  have  at  least  five 
milUons  of  dollars  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  war. 


On  the  10th  of  May,  1917,  President  Wilson  appointed  a 
War  Council  for  the  American  National  Red  Cross,  and  I 
was  asked  to  take  the  chairmanship. 

It  was  not  long  before  it  became  very  apparent  that  our 
mission,  at  least  in  the  narrow  aspect  of  it,  would  be  to 
look  after  the  men  of  our  own  Army  and  to  assist  the 


8      THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE    GREAT   WAR 

War  Department  in  doing  the  things  it  could  not  do 
alone  or  that  did  not  fall  wholly  within  its  province. 
That  was  indeed  our  duty,  but  the  bitter  sacrifices  of 
the  other  nations  for  three  long  years  had  brought  into  the 
equation  the  vital  and  imperative  question,  however  illu- 
minating the  answer  later,  whether  there  was  in  the  world 
—  or  in  America  —  any  such  thing  as  national  gratitude 
and  appreciation  ;  whether  plain,  simple  humanity  had  been 
utterly  submerged  in  an  ocean  of  commercialism. 

In  this  whole  development  the  War  Council  held  firmly  to 
two  things  :  first,  a  vision  of  our  bounden  duty  as  a  people ; 
and,  second,  an  abiding  faith  that  our  national  heart,  when 
we  found  it,  would  prove  to  be  in  the  right  place.  Nobody 
could  fail  to  discern  the  need  :  Thousands  of  old  men,  women, 
and  children  were  homeless  and  starving,  fleeing  before  a 
relentless  enemy;  whole  towns  and  cities  were  crumbling 
into  dust  under  the  increasing  pounding  of  the  guns ;  food, 
clothing,  and  medicine  were  lacking  ;  and  disease  was  raising 
its  ugly  head  in  the  wake  of  death  and  desolation.  If  ever 
the  brotherhood  of  man  was  to  be  demonstrated  and  proved, 
the  hour  had  surely  come. 

But  while  emphasis  gradually  was  laid  upon  the  necessity 
of  money,  if  we  were  to  do  our  part,  nevertheless  we  of  the 
War  Council  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  money  would 
be  the  smallest  part  of  it  —  merely  the  bridge  by  wliich  we 
must  cross  to  the  land  where  our  duty  called  us  and  where 
our  opportunity  lay.  You  might,  we  agreed,  pack  the 
building  with  dollars  and  still  fail  to  do  the  thing  we 
ought  to  do.  Our  concentration  here  was  about  the  amount 
of  money  we  should  ask  for.  In  working  out  this  problem 
we  discussed  at  length  about  a  request  for  twenty-five 
millions  of  dollars.  The  essential  thing,  if  the  Red  Cross 
was  to  accomplish  its  maximum  of  good,  was  to  have 
everybody  share  in  it ;  to  be  able  to  go  now,  at  the  very 
climax  of  need,  to  the  suffering  people  of  Europe,  carrying 


WHEN   THE   STORM   BURST  9 

the  message  of  good-will  from  all  the  people  of  America,  — 
the  poor,  the  rich,  the  young,  and  the  old,  all  asking  the 
privilege  of  helping  them  in  their  distress. 

And  so  the  appeal  went  out  to  the  country  for  a  hundred 
milhon  dollars.  It  was  a  neat  sum  but,  as  time  has  shown, 
small  for  the  magnitude  of  the  work  involved.  In  taking 
account  of  stock  we  found  that  the  Red  Cross  statement 
showed  one  liability.  True,  it  was  a  moral  one,  making 
it  all  the  more  binding,  viz.,  the  obligation  to  meet  and  re- 
heve  suffering  caused  by  the  world  tragedy.  But  it  also 
showed  one  asset  —  an  asset  that  overbalanced  all :  the 
good-will  of  the  American  people.  In  sum  total  the  state- 
ment seemed  an  excellent  one  to  me.  I  believed  that  the 
American  people  would  see  far  more  in  the  Red  Cross  effort 
than  simply  taking  care  of  our  own  men  and  that  they  would 
look  upon  it,  as  I  did,  as  an  opportunity  to  do  the  great  big 
human  thing ;  nor  did  I  have  the  smallest  doubt  but  that 
the  campaign  to  raise  that  money  would  start  a  spirit  of 
giving  and  of  sacrifice  that  would  mean  a  great  deal  more 
than  the  money  itself. 

There  were  obstacles  in  the  way :  summer  was  coming 
on  and  the  people  were  preparing  to  go  away ;  moreover, 
the  first  Liberty  Loan  drive  had  the  right  of  way  and  noth- 
ing must  interfere  -^ith  that.  We  were  all  bound  to  take 
off  our  coats  and  help  it.  It  was  finally  and  definitely 
decided  that  we  should  fix  June  18-25  —  three  days  after 
the  closing  of  the  loan  drive  —  as  Red  Cross  week.  From 
that  time  on  it  was  hke  a  military  campaign.  The  gentle- 
man who  had  been  chosen  to  head  the  Executive  Committee 
for  the  campaign  went  at  the  task  like  a  veritable  Foch. 
Like  Foch  he  certainly  proved  to  be  a  great  offensive  com- 
mander, and  his  staff  were  of  the  same  dynamic  character. 

We  had  one  month,  to  be  exact,  in  which  to  prepare  for 
this  task.  A  New  York  friend  of  the  Red  Cross  set  a  key- 
note for  the  undertaking  by  an  initial  gift  of  a  million  dollars. 


10    THE   AMERICAN   RED  CROSS  IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

It  is  my  belief  that  it  was  this  inspirational  act  that  gave  to 
the  whole  undertaking  an  almost  decisive  influence.  An 
interesting  feature  was  the  calling  to  Washington  of  some 
450  leading  men  from  all  parts  of  the  country  for  the  pur- 
pose of  laying  before  them  the  foundation  of  our  plans. 
The  conference,  strictly  speaking,  developed  into  a  great 
patriotic  gathering  and  resulted  in  enlisting  the  services 
of  a  group  of  men  with  large  experience  in  financial  matters 
and  in  the  raising  of  funds. 

The  next  step  was  to  extend  the  organization.  The 
country  was  mapped  out  into  four  divisions,  each  with  a 
director  in  charge,  and  under  these  were  114  field  agents 
and  an  office  force  that  grew  to  more  than  300  members. 
Presently,  and  while  the  whole  country  was  organizing, 
we  were  flooded  with  letters  and  telegrams,  all  of  which 
must  be  answered.  It  seemed  as  if  all  the  brains  and 
energy  in  the  world  were  concentrated  on  delivering  the 
message  to  the  people,  awakening  their  interest,  and  getting 
results. 

The  whole  country  was  humming  with  activity  long 
before  the  drive  started.  Men  left  important  positions 
to  come  and  ask  what  they  could  do.  They  were  given 
a  desk  and  a  job  and  went  at  it.  And  when  the  local 
workers  wanted  ''ammunition,"  it  was  provided  in  the 
form  of  advertising  copy,  placards,  street-car  signs,  banners, 
slogans  for  electric-signs,  pictures  for  lantern  slides,  material 
for  speeches,  sermons  and  lectures,  newspaper  features,  and 
advice  without  end.  And,  curiously  enough,  the  public 
never  realized  that  all  through  that  fevered  time  when  city, 
town,  and  country  were  at  white  heat  over  the  drive,  the 
Red  Cross  organization  was  busier  than  it  had  ever  been  in 
its  life,  planning  and  putting  into  action  the  work  of  relief 
which  the  money  was  to  do. 

With  the  team  leaders  it  was  a  game,  and  they  played  it 
with  all  the  sporting  joy  in  the  world.     Everywhere  people 


WHEN   THE   STORM   BURST  11 

vied  with  one  another  in  giving.  Rival  cities  strove  with 
one  another  to  be  first  in  raising  their  allotment,  and  then 
started  a  new  contest  to  see  which  should  go  farthest  beyond 
the  mark. 

But  why  recount  now  the  story  of  that  week !  It  is  still 
fresh  in  everybody's  memory.  It  was  a  typical  American 
accomplishment,  and  when  at  the  close  of  the  campaign  it 
was  known  that  the  country  had  given  $115,000,000,  there 
was  rejoicing  like  that  which  follows  a  great  political  victory. 
Better  far  than  that,  for  it  was  the  rejoicing  of  a  great 
people  in  that  they  had  demonstrated  a  vast  capacity  for 
unselfishness.  And  there  was  still  more  good  news  to  come, 
at  least  to  the  managers  of  the  campaign  :  it  was  found  that 
the  collecting  of  this  great  fund,  thanks  to  the  willingness  of 
everj^body  to  help,  had  cost  only  a  little  over  one  half  of  one 
per  cent. 


CHAPTER   II 

MASSING   THE    FORCES    OF   MERCY 

Plans  of  the  War  Council  —  Appointment  of  Foreign  Commission  — 
Muster  Roll  of  Volunteers  —  Word  from  General  Pershing  — 
Decentralization  —  The  Working  Machine  at  National  Headquar- 
ters. 

AGAINST  the  dark  background  of  that  eventful  year 
few  things,  naturally,  stand  out  more  luminous  to 
me  than  the  arrival  of  the  Red  Cross  at  a  commanding 
financial  position.  Obviously,  such  an  increase  in  money 
power  meant  that  we  could  do  for  our  soldiers  and  sailors 
all  that  we  should  do ;  it  meant  that  our  people  indorsed 
our  purpose  to  go  to  the  peoples  of  Europe  in  the  way  that 
we  should  go ;  and,  finally,  it  meant  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  a  resolve  on  the  part  of  the  Nation  that  liberty  should 
triumph  at  any  cost.  .  .  . 

There  was  no  time,  however,  to  dream  over  the  great 
mission  of  the  future.  In  the  numberless  informal  confer- 
ences which  it  held  prior  to  its  first  formal  meeting  on  the 
21st  of  May,  1917,  the  Red  Cross  War  Council  had  taken 
the  measure  of  its  task  and  proceeded  with  the  work  of 
massing  the  forces  of  mercy  side  by  side  with  the  raising 
of  the  great  army  which  America,  now  awake  and  full  of 
purpose,  was  creating  in  record  time,  and  for  the  doing 
of  which  we  had  the  faith,  the  credit,  and  the  women  —  the 
problem  of  the  moment  being  how  to  capitahze  them  all. 

In  general  our  plan  divided  itself  into  two  problems : 
first,  to  get  the  necessary  relief  to  Europe  in  the  shortest 
possible  time,  and  so  avert  what  we  now  know  would  have 

12 


MASSING   THE   FORCES   OF   MERCY  13 

developed  before  long  into  a  colossal  catastrophe ;  second, 
to  organize  ample  means  of  caring  for  all  the  various  needs 
of  our  own  army.  For  the  solution  of  this  problem  we  had 
three  possessions  of  value :  the  first  was  the  machine  which 
our  predecessors  in  control  of  the  Red  Cross  had  worked  to 
build  up  ;  the  second  was  a  now  rapidly  growing  membership 
and  Chapter  organization ;  the  third,  —  and  of  inestimable 
importance  in  the  work  of  expanding  the  machine  and  of 
putting  it  on  a  war  footing,  —  was  the  volunteer  service  of 
an  anny  of  some  of  the  most  competent,  aggressive,  and 
experienced  men  in  the  country,  and  of  women  who  had 
brains,  initiative,  and  the  inborn  quality  of  leadership. 
Indeed,  the  day  was  an  exceptional  one  which  did  not  reveal 
new  Red  Cross  assets  of  superlative  value.  It  began  to 
be  borne  in  upon  us  that  we  had  not  more  than  half  read  the 
Red  Cross  balance  sheet. 

It  was  not  a  matter  of  sentiment  alone  that  brought  the 
War  Council,  at  its  very  first  meeting,  to  a  realization  that 
our  duty  was  to  get  help  to  France;  on  the  contrary,  it 
was  a  clear  business  proposition  to  ascertain  without  a 
minute's  delay  just  what  was  needed  there  first  and  to 
start  it  on  its  way  there  as  early  as  possible.  We  had  a 
sufficiently  clear  picture  of  the  situation ;  what  we  needed 
was  to  measure  it  up,  even  if  only  tentatively,  in  the  terms 
of  necessary  dollars. 

Then  it  was  that  the  Red  Cross  asked  General  Pershing 
what  it  could  do  for  him,  and  almost  immediately  came 
his  answering  cable  :  — 

"If  you  want  to  do  something  for  me  for  God's  sake  'buck  up  the 
French.'  They  have  been  fighting  for  three  years  and  are  getting  ready 
for  their  fom-th  winter.  They  have  borne  a  tremendous  burden,  and 
whatever  assistance  we  can  lend  them  promptly  will  be  of  the  greatest 
possible  value." 

It  must  not,  however,  for  a  moment  be  supposed  that 
the  spirit  of  the  poilu  was  broken  or  that  he  was  not  fighting 


14    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS  IN   THE  GREAT   WAR 

with  the  dash  and  unflinching  courage  of  his  race;  but 
there  were  sectors  where  the  conditions  of  war  and  the  long 
continuation  of  service  were  beyond  the  endurance  of  body 
and  soul  and,  added  to  which,  there  was  the  consuming 
anxiety  which  preyed  upon  the  soldier  from  the  devastated 
regions  concerning  the  whereabouts  and  welfare  of  his 
family. 

To  this  end  a  commission  of  eighteen  men,  bent  on  clear- 
ing away  a  mountain  of  misery,  was  dispatched  to  Europe, 
and  landed  in  France  on  the  13th  of  June. 

Meantime,  the  American  Ambulance  in  Paris  needed  new 
cars ;  and  the  Civilian  Relief  in  France,  trying  to  cope  with 
the  tremendous  problem  of  the  soldiers,  the  refugees,  and 
the  numberless  pitiful  children,  called  by  cable  for  women's 
and  children's  clothing,  preserved  milk,  seeds,  farm  tools, 
and  money  for  the  mayors  of  villages  to  distribute  among 
the  starving  refugees  that  had  been  quartered  upon  them. 
Further  funds  were  needed  for  the  purchase  of  hospital 
supplies  and  hospital  garments,  rubber  goods,  and  surgical 
instrimients  —  all  matters  of  life  and  death. 

Unquestionably,  those  early  days  were  full  days.  Head- 
quarters was  on  the  tiptoe  of  expectancy  and  perilously 
near  chaos.  The  whole  world,  it  seemed  to  me,  was 
writing  to  Red  Cross  Headquarters  at  Washington  upon 
a  thousand-and-one  different  subjects. 

Through  the  end  of  May  and  into  June,  while  the  Com- 
mission to  France  was  hurrying  across  the  Atlantic  and  the 
War  Fund  drive  was  going  on,  we  were  trying  with  one 
hand  to  handle  the  incoming  business,  and  with  the  other 
to  frame  up  an  organization  that  should  be  broad  and 
strong  enough  in  all  directions  to  ''carry  on"  as  long  as  the 
war  would  last.  The  success  or  failure  of  this  whole  under- 
taking hung  upon  it.  In  due  time  we  chose  legal  counsel, 
and  selected  a  great  New  York  trust  company  to  handle 
the  money  end  of  the  business ;  we  formally  appointed  the 


DECEMBER^^23    v*| 


AN    AMERICAN    RED    CROSS    SLMMOXS. 


MASSING   THE   FORCES   OF  MERCY  15 

Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States  as  treasurer 
of  the  war  fund,  and  the  trust  company  provided  from  its 
office  force  a  corps  of  forty  trained  men  to  look  after  the 
finances.  And  while  we  were  seeking  everywhere  for 
experienced  men  to  fill  important  positions,  it  was  a  ray 
of  encouragement  to  receive  this  message  from  a  former 
United  States  Minister  :  ''You  will  find  men  everywhere  are 
ready  to  cooperate  enthusiastically  with  you  to  a  greater 
extent  than  you  are  perhaps  aware." 

One  by  one,  as  the  expansion  progressed,  we  found  them. 
All  through  the  hot  summer  months  we  kept  on  building 
up  the  machine.  During  the  day  the  War  Council  held 
meetings  at  Headquarters,  and  in  the  evening,  to  change 
the  scene  and  put  new  life  into  our  work,  we  continued  them 
at  my  house  in  Washington.  There  was  no  let-up  to  the 
volume  of  correspondence  from  all  over  the  country ;  nor 
was  there  any  cessation  of  the  cries  for  help  which  kept  the 
cables  continuously  busy. 

But  while  the  work  of  foreign  relief  was  imperative,  it  in- 
volved, perhaps,  less  of  difficulty  than  did  the  solving  of 
the  problem  of  selecting  the  right  men  for  the  Commis- 
sions, which  were  being  formed  to  represent  and  to  do  the 
work  of  the  American  Red  Cross  in  foreign  countries. 
What  we  required  was  to  get  men  who,  although  sympa- 
thetic and  human  in  their  appreciation,  had  expert  knowl- 
edge, unbounded  energy,  initiative,  cold  judgment,  keen 
perception  of  the  point  of  attack,  and  the  faculty  of  instant 
decision  and  consummate  skill  in  organization;  we  needed 
men  who  could  cut  red  tape,  men  who  could  rise  to  emer- 
gencies; we  needed  men  of  tact  and  diplomacy  for  the 
handling  of  what,  unquestionably,  was  a  most  difficult 
mission.  For  there  are  in  all  the  world  no  more  sensitive 
peoples  than  the  Latin  races,  and  to  have  gone  to  them  in 
such  a  crisis  with  anything  that  bore  the  faintest  tinge  of 
charity  or  condescension  would  have  been  fatal   to  the 


16    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS  IN  THE   GREAT   WAR 

intent  and  purpose  of  the  Red  Cross.  Our  money  would 
have  been  given  its  value  as  money  but  nothing  more. 
Here,  again,  the  future  and  the  cause  of  humanity  hung  in 
a  fine  balance.  The  story  of  what  was  achieved  in  France 
and  Italy  will  show  with  what  delicacy  this  critical  phase 
of  the  work  was  carried  through.  But  while  the  task  of 
planning  for  the  relief  of  Europe  and  determining  what 
was  best  to  do  first  was  put  squarely  upon  the  shoulders  of 
the  Commissions  which,  one  after  another,  were  rapidly 
dispatched  to  the  various  countries,  nothing  was  enacted, 
whether  military,  diplomatic,  or  financial,  which  had  not 
received  thorough  consideration  from  every  angle  and  with 
confirmative  advice  from  those  within  whose  special  province 
it  fell. 

From  the  very  beginning  it  was  the  controlling  principle  of 
the  War  Council  that  nothing,  however  small,  should  be 
done  which  could  not  bear  careful  scrutiny  and  which  was 
not  fully  warranted  by  existing  conditions.  The  Red  Cross 
forever  maintains  a  scrupulous  regard  for  the  fact  that  it 
is  the  people's  servant  and  is  spending  the  people's  money ; 
its  books  and  its  transactions  at  all  times  have  been  open 
to  public  inspection.  All  of  which,  nevertheless,  increased 
materially  the  burden  of  the  work.  At  a  very  early  stage 
of  the  proceedings,  therefore,  it  became  apparent  that  the 
Headquarters'  force,  augmented  though  it  had  been,  was 
soon  coming  to  the  point  where  it  would  be  submerged  unless 
some  means  of  simplifying  its  duties  could  be  found. 

In  appointing  a  general  manager  the  Red  Cross  found  a 
man  who  was  versed  in  the  handling  of  big  problems  and 
knew  how  to  reduce  them  to  little  ones.  He  solved  the 
difficulty  with  the  word  "decentralization  "  which,  in  this 
case,  resolved  itself  into  the  partitioning  of  the  United  States 
into  thirteen  divisions,  each  division  a  smaller  Red  Cross, 
with  all  its  departments  and  bureaus  under  a  divisional  chief 
and  a  force  complete  in  every  detail  with  the  various  lines  of 


MASSING   THE   FORCES   OP   MERCY  17 

endeavor  firmly  and  clearly  outlined.  It  cleared  the  sky  in 
a  day  —  it  saved  the  situation.  When  once  the  foundation 
was  complete,  the  War  Council  had  no  more  to  do  with  the 
Chapters  or  any  of  their  activities,  save  in  the  way  of  judg- 
ing the  needs,  devising  methods,  and  fixing  standards.  The 
Chapter's  business  was  regulated  in  the  department  to 
which  it  belonged  by  the  divisional  officers.  The  division 
manager  was  the  general  and  supreme  in  his  division.  He 
was  to  his  division  what  the  general  manager  in  Washington 
was  to  the  entire  organization.  Washington  Headquarters 
was  now  free  to  proceed  with  the  handling  of  the  larger  prob- 
lems which,  with  the  widening  of  the  sphere  of  effort  and 
the  progress  in  army-building,  were  growing  daily  to  greater 
magnitude  and  importance.  It  was  simply  taking  a  leaf 
from  the  book  of  armies  and  of  big  business,  andj  it  mul- 
tiplied the  efficiency  of  the  whole  Red  Cross  organization 
at  a  time  when  efficiency,  or  the  lack  of  it,  spelled  victory 
or  defeat.  The  main  problem  of  the  division  arrangement 
lay,  as  it  did  in  the  Commissions  to  Europe,  in  selecting 
with  the  most  studious  care  the  men  to  head  the  divisions. 
It  was  not  until  September  that  this  important  matter  was 
finally  settled  and  the  roster  of  division  chiefs  and  their 
forces  brought  to  completion. 

In  order  to  secure  the  maximum  result  from  all  lines  of 
effort,  it  was  necessary  to  expand  and  reform  in  many  points 
the  work  of  the  several  departments.  The  Chapters  and 
the  membership,  which  in  the  preceding  year  had  been 
substantially  extended,  now  increased  automatically  and 
with  a  speed  which  told  clearly  enough  that  the  human 
force  throughout  the  country  was  aroused  and  at  work.  In 
January,  1917,  the  Red  Cross  managers  had  started  a  cam- 
paign for  a  million  members  before  the  following  year. 
By  September  there  were  six  millions,  and  the  Chapters,  num- 
bering six  hundred  when  war  was  declared,  now  ran  into  the 
thousands.     At  the  end  of  the  membership  drive  in  Decern- 


18     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

ber  there  were  22,000,000  names  on  the  hsts.  All  through 
the  summer  singers,  actors,  and  people  of  every  trade  and 
calling  taxed  their  wits  to  devise  entertainments  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Red  Cross.  To  enumerate  the  sources  of 
contribution  is  impossible.  The  stimulation  of  interest, 
which  in  earlier  days  had  been  one  of  our  \'ital  concerns, 
had  ceased  to  bother  us.     Interest  had  stimulated  itself. 

Meanwhile  the  Chapter  organization  had  done  its  work 
well.  Production  was  going  forward  in  a  wave.  It  was  the 
age  of  wool ;  everybody  was  knitting !  In  the  large  cities, 
particularly  the  division  centers,  model  workrooms  were 
estabhshed ;  to  the  last  little  auxiliary  in  the  farthest  town 
everybody  was  doing  something  for  the  Red  Cross. 

The  divisional  plan,  distributing  as  it  did  the  burden  of 
details,  had  enabled  Headquarters  to  do  effective  things 
in  standardizing  and  perfecting  the  system  of  production, 
collection,  and  shipment.  So  that  before  the  summer  was 
far  advanced  a  great  volume  of  earnest,  but  misdirected 
effort  had  been  turned  into  established  channels,  its  effec- 
tiveness doubled,  and  confusions  and  waste  of  strength  and 
nervous  tissue  greatly  reduced. 

Millions  of  circulars  were  sent  out  to  the  Chapters  through 
the  divisional  offices,  giving  diagrams  and  explicit  directions 
for  the  making  of  knitted  goods  and  other  requirements, 
not  only  for  equipment  of  our  Army  but  for  the  hospital 
work  of  the  units  which  were  hurried  to  war,  and  to  supply 
the  urgent  needs  of  Allied  hospital  service  now  so  sorely 
taxed.  With  an  eye  to  future  requirements  the  educational 
work  of  the  Chapter  organization  was  vigorously  expanded. 
The  Red  Cross,  like  the  Government,  was  making  its  prepa- 
rations for  a  long  war.  With  this  in  mind,  training  classes 
were  established  and  the  Junior  Red  Cross,  so  long  looked 
upon  as  ''child's  play,"  was  converted  into  a  large  con- 
tributive  factor,  both  for  the  present  and  the  future. 

Throughout  the  country  there  was  a  multitude  of  willing 


MASSING   THE   FORCES   OF   MERCY  19 

souls,  bursting  with  patriotism,  eager  to  help  in  some  way, 
but  debarred  by  sex,  age,  or  physical  infirmity  from  going 
into  the  trenches.  The  Red  Cross  was  their  lodestar.  It 
was  the  work  of  the  Department  of  Development  to  con- 
centrate, to  organize,  to  direct  this  mass  of  energy.  Much 
of  it  also  was  absorbed  by  what  had  previously  borne  the 
stilled  and  unconvincing  name  of  ''Civilian  Relief,"  but 
which,  now  that  its  day  of  supreme  usefulness  had  come, 
was  made  over  into  a  practical  instrument  under  the  ex- 
pressive title  of  ''Home  Service." 

In  the  schedule  which  the  Red  Cross  was  perfecting, 
Home  Service  was  the  ultimate  power  behind  the  man 
behind  the  gun,  the  force  that  never  slept,  and  that  must 
know,  from  day  to  day,  the  condition,  the  needs,  and  the 
worries  of  the  families  left  behind.  As  the  building  of  the 
Army  progressed,  no  branch  of  Red  Cross  effort  gave  more 
substantial  proof  of  its  value  than  this.  It  was  the  guard- 
ian and  the  surety  of  national  morals.  What  Home 
Service  did  towards  helping  to  better  the  condition  of  the 
poilu  it  likewise  did  for  the  American  soldier  at  the  front 
and  the  reserve  army  of  waiting  folks  at  home. 

The  vital  factor  in  Home  Service  is  neighborly  feeling, 
sympathy,  appreciation,  personal  approach.  For  that 
reason  its  work  had  to  be  correlated  wdth  the  Chapters; 
and  so  in  every  Chapter  there  was  a  Home  Service  section, 
not  bothered  with  knitting,  paying  no  heed  to  bandages  or 
hospital  garments,  but  concentrating  on  the  personal  needs, 
the  strictly  private  troubles  of  the  soldier's  family.  It  soon 
became  apparent  that  the  field  of  Home  Service  would  grow 
wider  with  every  fresh  detachment  of  men  sent  overseas. 
An  educational  system  was  devised  centering  in  the  colleges 
and  summer  schools,  but  extending  in  less  elaborate  form 
down  to  the  Chapter  branches,  to  teach  both  theory  and 
practice  to  fit  people  for  what  was  bound  to  be  a  necessary 
and  in  more  respects  than  one  a  delicate  mission.    In  a  few 


20     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

months  an  immense  work  of  organization  was  done  in  the 
field. 

The  selective  draft  was  now  in  full  swing.  The  tramp, 
tramp,  tramp  of  the  men  of  twenty-one  to  thirty-one  of  every 
state,  city,  and  township  was  ringing  in  our  ears.  This  was 
no  mere  memory  of  '61 !  In  the  Red  Cross  we  lived  from  day 
to  day  in  the  consciousness  of  the  fact  that  the  Army's  mani- 
fold needs  was  hard  upon  our  heels.  The  Army  was  only  one 
item  in  our  duty,  but  it  was  our  first  charge  under  the  terms 
of  our  charter  and,  besides,  it  was  America  —  our  home 
folks.  Moreover,  in  the  War  and  Navy  Departments 
whose  servants,  primarily,  the  Red  Cross  was,  we  had 
superiors  who  wanted  quick  delivery. 

The  equipment  of  soldiers  with  sweaters,  helmets,  wrist- 
lets, socks,  comfort  kits,  and  all  the  other  manifold  things 
necessary  to  keep  them  comfortable  was,  to  say  the  least, 
a  substantial  order,  yet  it  was  merely  an  incident  in  the 
program.  For  the  training  of  its  multitudes  the  Govern- 
ment, at  that  moment,  was  building  thirty-four  camps  and 
cantonments  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  the  Red 
Cross  must  be  on  hand  in  them  all  prepared  to  do  every- 
thing and  more  than  it  was  created  to  do.  There  would  be 
sick  soldiers  and  cases  of  accidents,  for  which  we  must  fur- 
nish hospital  units,  nurses,  and  medical  supplies ;  also,  we 
must  have  competent  people  there  to  look  after  our  work, 
for  this  was  not  a  case  where  a  casual  clerk  or  shiftless  office 
boy  would  do.  We  must  provide  housing  for  a  Red  Gross 
/'lighthouse"  in  every  camp  to  which  the  soldier,  worried 
or  in  need,  could  find  his  way ;  and  when  he  left  training 
and  moved  from  one  camp  to  another  or  to  the  ship  which 
was  to  bear  him  away  on  the  great  adventure,  we  must 
break  the  journey  with  a  little  food,  a  little  cheer,  and  medical 
attendance  if  necessary.  There  was  welfare  work  around 
the  camp,  too,  and  care,  both  material  and  moral,  of  the 
adjacent  communities.    There  was  the  maintenance  of  the 


MASSING   THE   FORCES   OF  MERCY  21 

Red  Cross  Motor  Corps,  not  alone  for  our  own  use,  but  for 
the  Army  and  the  Navy.  And  there  was  the  Ambulance 
Corps,  with  forty-five  companies  of  over  5000  men  in  train- 
ing and  in  service. 

So  through  the  first  summer  and  fall  we  drove  ahead,  whip 
and  spur,  gathering  in  the  people,  enrolling  nurses,  erecting 
buildings,  buying  supplies  and  machinery  and  means  of 
transit,  establishing  canteens  and  equipping  the  Red  Cross 
at  every  possible  point  where  it  could  come  in  contact  with 
the  life  and  needs  of  the  soldier.  The  War  Department 
issued  a  call  for  25,000  nurses  before  the  end  of  the 
year.  All  over  the  country  we  carried  on  a  nurses'  drive ; 
and  the  Department  of  Nursing  in  every  one  of  the  thir- 
teen divisions  tried  to  surmount  many  and  grave  obstacles. 
We  combed  the  medical  profession  of  the  country,  too, 
for  doctors  to  go  into  service ;  we  organized  a  Medical  Ad- 
visory Committee  of  famous  doctors  and  sanitary  experts 
to  give  counsel  in  all  matters  relating  to  medicine  and 
sanitation. 

I  have  tried  here  merely  to  sketch  in  outline  the  various 
departments  of  duty  which  had  to  be  mapped  out,  peopled, 
and  set  in  motion,  and  to  produce  a  sort  of  composite  picture, 
necessarily  inadequate,  of  the  Red  Cross  in  this  vast  for- 
mative period.  At  times  it  seemed  well-nigh  impossible 
to  meet  the  accumulation  of  simultaneous  demands.  While 
careful  and  far-reaching  were  the  plans  for  organization  of 
our  domestic  work,  oftentimes  it  became  necessary  to  make 
fundamental  changes,  experiment  having  foretold  failure  to 
discharge  our  duties  when  the  supreme  test  should  come; 
and  all  this  time  the  heart-breaking  cry  of  suffering  Europe 
was  never  for  a  moment  still. 

The  work  in  France,  as  I  have  previously  stated,  had  been 
started  first,  but  within  a  very  short  time  we  had  commis- 
sions to  Russia,  Rumania,  Serbia,  and  Italy.  A  Commis- 
sioner and  Deputy  Commissioner  for  England  had  been 


22     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

chosen  and    a  special   department  for  Belgium  appointed 
under  the  direction  of  the  Commission  to  France. 

Moreover,  in  connection  with  these,  we  had  not  neglected 
to  build  up  a  Department  of  Supplies  and  Transportation 
to  handle  all  the  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  purchases,  the 
collection  of  the  vast  supplies  from  the  Chapters,  the  pro- 
vision of  material,  rail  freights,  the  procurement  of  ocean 
tonnage,  and  the  delivery  of  all  the  Red  Cross  benefactions 
to  the  points  where  they  were  needed.  Further  in  the 
background,  but  indispensable  to  every  day's  labors,  were 
the  advisory  committees  to  various  departments,  legal 
advisers  who  canvassed  all  our  transactions,  —  particularly 
with  regard  to  international  relations,  —  a  general  manager 
w^hose  function  was  to  complete  the  coordination  of  aJifl 
branches,  solve  problems,  and  smooth  out  rough  places,  ^H 
Bureau  of  Naval  Affairs  connecting  the  Red  Cross  in  all 
lines  of  its  service  with  the  Navy  and  its  requirements,  while 
in  the  foreground  was  the  Department  of  Publicity,  estab- 
lishing more  firmly,  as  the  work  grew,  our  link  with  the 
public  which  stood  behind  the  work. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   COMRADESHIP 

Divisions  and  Chapters 

Orders  from  Abroad  —  The  Response  of  Women  —  Knitting  no  Longer 
in  the  Feminine  Gender  —  New  Methocfe  and  Machines  —  Evolution 
of  the  System  —  Total  Production  of  Chapters  —  Army  Mending  — 
Emergency  Orders  —  Red  Cross  Motor  Corps  —  Canteen  Workers  — 
First  Aid,  Home  Dietetics,  etc.  —  Home  Service  —  Total  Number 
of  Chapters  and  Members  —  Fourteenth  Division. 

THAT  which  we  call  a  Red  Cross  Chapter  is  a  highly 
perfected  piece  of  social  machinery.  Its  motor-power 
is  supplied  by  the  highest  and  yet  the  commonest  human 
impulses  and  its  product,  applied  humanity,  is  the  bright 
hope  of  a  war-wrung  world ;  but  its  high  mission  is  based 
firmly  upon  modem  business  principles.  Romance  flees 
from  the  committee  reports,  the  organization  charts,  the 
careful  records,  the  waybills  and  invoices,  and  all  the  matter- 
of-fact  and  dreary  system  that  insures  the  arrival  of  bandages 
and  nurses  in  a  plague-stricken  East  and  the  temperature 
of  the  coffee  in  a  local  canteen.  Only  the  enthusiast  with  a 
pure  passion  for  organization  derives  a  real  thrill  from 
the  knowledge  that  "&  Chapter  is  a  geographical  unit  having 
jurisdiction  over  a  county  or  large  city"  ;  that  ''it  is  respon- 
sible for  all  Red  Cross  activities  in  its  territory";  that  it 
organizes  this  territory  for  convenience  into  Branches  which 
miniature  itself,  and  Auxiliaries  which  carry  on  one  line  of 
Red  Cross  service ;  that  its  officers  and  executive  com- 
mittee are  elected  annually  by  all  the  members;    that  it 

23 


24    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN    THE   GREAT  WAR 

reports  its  activities  in  detail  to  one  of  the  fourteen  Division 
Headquarters;  that  it  must  be  a  complete  miniature  Red 
Cross  with  a  committee  in  charge  of  every  line  of  authorized 
Red  Cross  activity,  so  that  the  Hne  of  communication 
may  remain  unbroken  from  Washington  to  the  members  of 
the  tiniest  branch  and  none  fail  to  respond  to  a  national 
call  for  help. 

Dry  as  dust  it  seems  on  paper,  with  its  analysis  of  adminis- 
trative committees  (Development,  Publicity,  Finance)  and 
productive  committees  (Chapter  Production,  Military  ReUef, 
Home  Service,  Nursing  Activities,  Junior  Membership),  with 
its  provision  for  dividing  membership  and  subscription 
between  local  and  national  activities,  yet  the  perfected 
machine  is  the  triumph  of  hard  work.  It  is  a  skillful  com- 
promise between  elasticity  to  local  conditions  and  control 
from  headquarters,  and  it  was  evolved  under  the  tremendous 
pressure  of  war  conditions,  while  new  Chapters  were  being 
installed  and  veterans  were  running  at  top  speed. 

Let  it  not  be  thought,  however,  that  a  Red  Cross  Chapter 
is  merely  a  sublimated  sewing  circle.  It  is  the  applied 
humanity  of  its  community.  It  represents  the  organized 
forces  of  friendliness  and  it  applies  them  in  ways  as  varied 
and  as  colorful  as  human  need.  Let  me  select  as  an  example 
a  call  for  supplies  that  was  flashed  underseas  from  a  Red 
Cross  outpost  in  some  No  Man's  Land  of  want !  Divided 
and  subdivided  it  sped  unerringly  along  the  familiar  lines 
from  Headquarters  to  Division,  to  Chapter,  to  Branch,  to 
Auxiliary  until  in  the  folds  of  a  hundred  hills,  along  mar- 
shaled city  blocks,  at  village  cross-roads  each  item  of  that 
order  busied  the  hard-earned  leisure  of  a  woman's  hands. 
Or,  a  depot-master  who  reported  a  troop-train  headed  east 
and  four  hours  late;  though  it  was  in  the  weary  dead  of 
night  the  Motor  Corps  brought  the  Canteeners  to  the  tracks 
on  time  to  hand  out  coffee  and  sandwiches,  postal  cards,  and 
words  of  cheer.     Under  cover  of  laconic  entries  in  the  pro- 


THE   COMRADESHIP  25 

duction  reports,  ''Christmas  bags,  500,000,"  ''Repairing 
1,000,000  socks,"  the  women  in  the  Chapter  workrooms 
mothered  a  milHon  boys  in  camp.  Did  the  Government  ask 
for  nurses  or  fruit-pits  or  tin-foil  or  platinum,  then  forth 
from  Chapter  Headquarters  went  campaigners,  speakers, 
posters,  to  rake  the  highways  and  byways  for  recruits.  The 
invisible  cohorts  of  the  comradeship  rode  east  and  west  and 
north  and  south  along  the  winding  ways  of  all  the  world, 
drawing  a  cordon  of  safety  around  the  dooryards  of  home, 
spreading  the  wisdom  of  physical  well-being,  and  guarding 
the  hearth  fires  of  those  who  had  gone  to  war. 

Chapter  members  had  a  great  deal  of  hard  work  during 
the  war  and  very  little  glamour.  But  to  those  who  would 
see  \asions  and  dream  dreams  Centreville  and  its  thousand 
counterparts  were  just  behind  the  trenches.  They  were 
the  Red  Cross  bases  for  money,  for  supplies,  and  for  inspira- 
tion. To  such  souls  all  the  rest  of  the  organization  was 
merely  the  line  of  communication  that  linked  them  to  a 
hundred  fronts. 

Woman's  classic  part  in  war  is  to  send  her  men  away  with 
a  smile  and  then  wait.  Somewhere  she  must  find  the 
strength  to  bear  that  waiting ;  the  women  of  the  Great  War 
found  it  in  the  countless  workrooms  of  the  Red  Cross.  In 
the  concourses  of  railroad  terixdnals,  in  department  stores, 
and  in  hastily  transformed  offices,  in  Sunday  Schools,  and  in 
Hbraries  the  quiet,  white-garbed  women  sat  with  flying 
fmgers  and  thoughts  that  kept  pace  with  the  swift  whir  of 
machines  turning  out  the  endless  yards  of  gauze  and  cotton 
for  the  war-locked  fines  in  France.  This  is  the  freemasonry 
of  woman,  this  white  magic  that  they  weave  to  shield  their 
men  from  harm,  laying  innumerable  folds  of  gauze  and 
cotton  between  them  and  the  bayonet  thrusts. 

The  workrooms  in  action  little  suggested  the  house  of 
dreams.  The  long,  white-covered  tables,  the  lines  of  busy 
sewing  machines,  the  shining  rows  of  bandage  rollers  and 


26    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

knitting  machines,  the  shelves  piled  with  materials,  the 
business-like  officials  checking  out  supplies  and  recording 
finished  work  suggested  the  humming  shops  of  a  great 
factory.  They  were  found  wherever  people  most  congre- 
gated ;  but  whether  they  shared  tall  office  buildings  with 
lawyers  and  business  firms  or  elbowed  the  general  store  and 
the  post-office  on  the  village  main  street,  they  wore  the 
same  aura  of  up-to-date  efficiency.  The  demand  was  for 
expert  workmanship  and  skill  in  many  intricate  processes, 
and  this  the  irregular  workers  developed  to  a  high  degree. 

New  methods  and  machines  were  invented  under  the 
high  pressure  of  demand  in  this  new  craft.  Cotton  had  a 
double  war  use  for  munitions  and  surgical  dressings,  and 
because  in  that  grim  game  the  guns  took  precedence  over 
the  hospitals,  sphagnum  moss  became  in  high  favor  in  Red 
Cross  workrooms.  Tons  of  it  were  gathered  in  Maine,  in 
eastern  Canada,  and  the  Northwest.  Its  absorbent  quali- 
ties are  so  great  that  when  water  is  poured  upon  the  sphag- 
num compress  it  expands  to  twice  its  thickness  before  the 
under  layer  of  muslin  shows  a  trace  of  moisture.  The  prep- 
aration of  the  moss  was  a  tedious  process  until  a  woman 
solved  the  problem  by  constructing  a  six-foot  ferris  wheel 
hung  with  open  air  trays.  In  the  big  workrooms  these 
machines  were  set  up,  the  current  switched  on  and  the 
wheel  left  to  do  its  time-saving  work  in  the  electric  heat  of  the 
drying  room. 

Nor  is  knitting  any  longer  of  the  feminine  gender!  A 
new  hand-machine,  turning  out  socks  at  a  shocking  rate, 
has  made  hundreds  of  men  and  boys  successful  rivals  of 
the  "knit  two,  purl  two,"  brigade.  It  turns  out  a  pair  of 
socks  in  twenty-five  minutes,  and  can  be  adjusted  to  any 
size  or  length.  One  millionaire  grocerjnnan  spent  his 
mornings  in  a  New  York  workroom  ribbing  and  turning 
heels  with  the  ease  and  precision  of  a  veteran. 

Even  chemistry  played  its  part  in  the  Red  Cross  opera- 


THE   COMRADESHIP  27 

tions.  When  linen  and  cotton  materials  for  bandages  and 
dressings  were  scarce  in  the  market,  an  immense  reserve 
was  found  in  the  drafting-rooms  of  manufacturers  and 
architects.  Here  were  great  quantities  of  discarded  cloth 
which  had  to  be  treated  with  diastase  to  remove  the  drawing 
ink  and  transparent  dressing.  Great  laundry  plants  volun- 
teered to  handle  the  bulk  of  this  work,  but  in  many  places 
Red  Cross  workers  set  up  emergency  laboratories  in  their 
owTi  washrooms. 

It  has  been  estimated  by  some  genius  that  to  this 
work,  after  America  went  to  war,  two  million  hours 
were  given,  —  two  hundred  and  thirty  years  of  labor  com- 
pressed into  eighteen  months !  Whatever  the  actual 
time  the  record  totals  an  enormous  sacrifice  of  rest,  of 
pleaiBure,  of  food,  and  sometimes  even  of  sleep.  Some 
of  those  hours  represented  spare  moments  between  trains 
or  unexpected  lulls  in  a  shopping  tour;  the  bulk  of 
them  were  hard  wrung  from  busy  Hves.  They  stood 
for  condensed  housekeeping,  foresworn  frivolities,  shortened 
lunch  hours,  night  work  volunteered  by  factory  girls 
when  the  day's  business  was  done.  Miles  of  material 
passed  under  their  busy  hands.  Every  month  they  put 
a  five-and-three-quarter-inch  girdle  of  gauze  around  the 
globe;  they  used  two  and  a  half  million  pounds  of  wool. 
Here  was  the  most  marvelous  factory  the  world  has  ever 
known :  it  kept  no  hours,  and  it  knew  no  payroll.  Its 
shops  were  erected  in  every  crowded  mart  and  on  every 
country  bj^^ay,  in  the  Chicago  loop,  and  in  icebound  Alaskan 
villages.  The  limit  of  its  production  was  never  reached, 
yet  every  item  in  its  output  was  known  and  controlled  in 
one  white  marble  building  —  the  National  Red  Cross  Head- 
quarters in  Washington.  The  evolution  of  that  system  is  a 
monument  to  the  energy  and  the  self-discipline  of  the  Amer- 
ican women. 

In  the  wake  of  the  first  staggering  news  of  war  in  Europe 


28    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS  IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

came  tales  of  awful  suffering  for  want  of  bandages  and 
dressings.  The  report  that  wounds  were  being  covered 
with  sawdust  and  newspaper  sent  pitying  fingers  hurrying 
to  their  task;  and  when  with  winter  came  the  demand  for 
socks  and  sweaters  to  expel  the  biting  cold  of  the  trenches, 
little  groups  of  workers  bravely  started  out  to  explore  the 
unknown  field  of  surgical  dressings  and  refugee  garments. 
The  Red  Cross  had  issued  directions  for  their  making,  but 
almost  anything  was  acceptable.  Women  made  what  they 
could,  or  what  rumor  reported  to  be  right.  With  the  result 
that  wherever  two  or  three  women  were  gathered  together,  a 
new  line  of  models  arose.  The  Red  Cross  undertook  to 
forward  gifts  to  any  designated  country,  and  a  motley 
stream  of  packing  boxes  passed  through  the  New  York 
warehouse.  During  two  and  a  half  years  of  divided  senti- 
ment, seething  under  official  neutrality,  eighteen  thousand 
donors,  individuals,  ladies'  clubs,  charitable  organizations, 
and  Red  Cross  Chapters  appear  regularly  on  the  record 
of  shipments  received.  Seventy-five  thousand  big  packages 
went  overseas.  But  by  April,  1917,  a  little  order  was  coming 
out  of  the  chaos.  Classes  in  making  surgical  dressings 
had  been  established,  and  trained  instructors  were  now 
directing  the  output  in  Chapter  workrooms.  In  spite  of 
individualistic  tendencies  a  compress  from  Kansas  was, 
obviously,  now  of  the  same  family  as  a  compress  from  New 
Jersey. 

On  April  30,  the  first  foreign  order  was  ticked  off  at 
Washington:  ''Ask  Chapters  for  four  hundred  thousand 
pairs  woolen  socks  and  unlimited  supplies  hospital  garments 
and  clothing."  At  last  a  direct  line  of  communication  to 
the  front  was  established.  This  first  haphazard  stock  of 
supplies  was  built  up  under  the  pressure  of  imminent  un- 
gauged  demand ;  during  the  war,  a  call  from  overseas  was 
answered  promptly  without  apparent  effort.  Often  it  was 
only  a  matter  of  shipping  a  certain  number  of  packing  cases 


THE   COMRADESHIP  29 

from  the  piled  reserves  in  an  export  warehouse.  Segregated 
by  size  and  kind  in  uniform  boxes,  duly  inspected,  recorded, 
and  labeled,  garments,  bandages,  and  socks  moved  in  orderly 
ways  from  tliirty  thousand  workrooms,  through  division 
inspectors  and  export  stations,  by  train  and  ocean  liner,  to 
the  long  line  of  warehouses  that  paralleled  the  Western 
front. 

How  the  system  was  slowly  perfected  and  strengthened 
in  every  link  is  told  in  a  sUm  folder  of  varicolored  forms, 
filed  under  ''Foreign  Requisitions"  in  the  cable  office  at 
National  Headquarters. 

Following  the  blue  sheet  bearing  the  first  request  for 
"unlimited  quantities"  comes  the  Chapters'  answer.  Many 
yellow  pages  are  written  close  with  the  serial  numbers  of 
packing  cases  invariably  headed  by  the  formal  statement, 
''United  States  Transport  sailing  recently  New  York 
carried  French  shipment  number  000."  Soon  the  Com- 
mission was  measuring  its  needs  and  weighing  the  relative 
merits  of  bandages  and  pinafores.  In  the  same  files  under 
date  of  August  17th  appears  the  following:  "No  more 
shipments  from  United  States  without  specific  request  from 
France."  This,  by  the  way,  did  not  mean  a  halt  in  pro- 
duction ;  it  meant  that  the  situation  was  so  serious  and  the 
demand  so  urgent  that  to  avoid  confusion  and  duplication 
they  would  determine  what  was  most  needed  and  the 
order  in  which  it  should  come. 

When  the  Red  Cross  Commission  —  those  pioneers 
facing  immense  and  unknown  needs  —  sailed  for  France 
in  June,  they  made  preparations  for  yet  unsolved  contin- 
gencies. In  France  an  endless  stream  of  gray  ambulances 
poured  wounded  men  into  army  hospitals,  and  refugees 
fled  empty-handed  from  the  battle-zone.  Here,  back  home, 
American  soldiers  were  entering  the  first  stage  of  their 
journey  to  the  front.  These  things  the  Commission  knew. 
But  if  heretofore  they  had  failed  to  plmnb  the  capacity  of 


30    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

the  Chapter  supply  sj^stem  they  soon  began  to  send  enough 
specific  requests  to  satisfy  the  most  enthusiastic  Chapter. 

In  September  the  right  of  way  was  given  to  surgical 
dressings  and  hospital  supplies.  In  December  the  ratio  of 
need  was  stated  as  seventy-five  hospital  to  twenty-five 
refugee  garments.  By  July,  1918,  the  veteran  Commission 
had  an  accurate  finger  on  the  pulse  of  France.  ''Require- 
ments for  Military  and  Hospital  Purposes  for  six  months 
following"  headed  an  order  of  six  million  items. 

Meantime  details  of  transportation  were  straightened 
out.  After  November,  1917,  drains  and  bed  socks  and 
boys'  corduroy  trousers  were  no  longer  permitted  to  consort 
fraternally  in  ''miscellaneous  cases,"  but  were  ruthlessly 
sorted  and  packed  in  uninteresting  uniformity  with  their 
kind.  In  the  spring,  the  cases  themselves  were  put  into 
uniform.  The  familiar  insignia  and  a  three-inch  diagonal 
red  stripe  on  sides  and  ends  proclaimed  their  source  and 
destination.  The  piled  boxes  on  the  wharves  of  France  were 
all  of  a  size,  dictated  by  the  door  space  of  the  French  box- 
car. The  serial  number  stenciled  on  each  was  the  key  to 
its  recorded  march  from  a  far-away  workroom  to  fill  its 
allotted  2X2X3  niche  in  the  need  of  France. 

"Bales  or  cases"  became  the  subject  most  discussed  in 
shipping  circles.  Cargo  space  was  precious  and  cloth  bulked 
smaller  than  wood,  with  the  result  that  a  few  experimental 
bales  were  dispatched  on  sea  voyages  to  test  out  various 
wrappings,  fastenings,  and  markings. 

Cabled  orders  read  like  ciphers.  They  referred  to  all 
items  in  Chapter  production  by  their  code  numbers.  This 
was  the  last  step  in  a  discipline  of  detail  that  spoke  of  the 
delicate  balance  of  need  and  supply.  Early  in  1917  the  Red 
Cross  sent  representatives  to  find  out  by  personal  investi- 
gation what  surgeons  and  nurses  in  army  hospitals  wanted 
in  the  way  of  hospital  supplies ;  and  what  size  sheet  was  best 
for  the  regulation  bed;    also  what  length  nightshirt  fitted 


THE   COMRADESHIP  31 

the  regulation  patient,  and  what  form  of  surgical  dressings 
came  most  readily  to  hand  in  the  operating  room.  They 
also  went  from  station  to  station  behind  the  lines  to 
learn  what  kind  of  clothes  refugees  liked  best  to  wear. 
Their  findings,  coded  and  crystallized  in  exact  directions 
and  patterns,  were  later  in  every  Red  Cross  workroom. 
Number  453  became  precisely  the  same  thing  in  Evian  and 
Palestine  and  Akron,  Ohio.  Every  American  worker  knew 
that  the  awkward,  unbelievable  ugly  garment  she  fashioned 
would  be  beautiful  in  the  eyes  of  some  refugee,  a  familiar 
link  with  the  past,  a  tiny  balance  wheel  in  a  life  wrenched 
from  its  moorings  and  adrift  in  the  backwash  of  war. 

In  the  first  month  of  1918,  two  thousand  packing  cases 
of  supplies  were  coming  in  daily  from  the  Chapters.  The 
workers  had  struck  their  pace.  New  recruits  were  gathered 
daily  as  reports  came  in  of  Americans  in  the  trenches,  and 
production  soared.  The  average  monthly  production  in 
1917  was  six  million ;  in  1918,  it  was  thirty-one  million. 
Up  to  September  30,  1918,  275,000,000  articles  made  by 
the  women  and  children  in  the  Red  Cross  had  been  sent 
overseas.  The  bulk  of  them,  250,000,000  in  round  num- 
bers, followed  the  United  States  transports  to  France; 
the  balance  carried  their  message  of  comfort  and  good  cheer 
to  Italy,  England,  Serbia,  Russia,  and  Palestine. 

But,  although  the  shuttle  of  their  thoughts  moved  through 
a  woof  of  many  lands,  the  Red  Cross  women  did  not  forget 
the  cantonments  that  had  sprung  up  at  their  gates.  Their 
Christmas  bags  replaced  the  familiar  Christmas  stockings 
in  the  great  barracks ;  their  socks  and  sweaters  and  wristlets 
warmed  the  waning  enthusiasm  of  many  a  novice  in  winter- 
camping.  What  more  fitting  than  that  they  should  do  the 
army  mending?  In  June,  1918,  the  Red  Cross  officially 
took  over  this  duty  from  the  Army  quartermasters.  In  this 
transaction  red  tape  was  conspicuous  by  its  absence.  The 
privilege  was  restricted   to   those  localities  that  boasted 


32     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

camps  and  quartermaster  depots.  The  clothes,  which 
included  everything  that  a  soldier  wears,  were  delivered 
clean,  but  ragged,  to  the  workrooms.  They  presented  vivid 
examples  of  what  one  man  could  do  to  a  perfectly  good 
uniform,  given  perseverance  and  the  facihties  of  army  life. 
The  garments  that  averaged  more  square  feet  of  holes  than 
material  were  cut  up  for  patches.  Thread  and  buttons 
came  with  the  consignment ;  the  magic  of  flying  fingers 
did  the  rest.  Trial  lots  of  5000  were  issued  to  each  Division 
in  June ;  within  thirty  days  500,000  garments  of  every  size 
and  kind  had  been  returned  to  respectability.  One  Division 
rehabilitated  150,000  on  its  first  order.  Sometimes  mend- 
ing was  a  blanket  term  for  complete  transformations.  Wit- 
ness 96,000  collarless  white  shirts,  opening  in  the  back, 
that  strayed  into  Northern  Division  workrooms  and  emerged 
a  short  time  thereafter  dyed,  collared,  cuffed,  opening  in 
the  front,  regulation  O.D.'s.  By  November  1,  1918,  more 
than  one  and  a  half  million  garments  had  passed  in  and  out 
of  the  Red  Cross  mending  bag. 

The  volunteer  supply  system  was  organized.  As  nearly 
as  it  was  humanly  possible  every  garment  was  made 
exactly  Uke  its  model.  Moreover,  the  same  number  of 
rolls  or  compresses  was  exacted  from  every  yard  of  gauze, 
and  workrooms  turned  out  no  more  and  no  less  than  their 
accepted  quotas.  All  materials  were  bought  through  the 
Central  Supply  Department  at  Washington  and  issued  from 
Division  warehouses  on  requisition.  The  constantly  de- 
pleted reserves  in  the  export  warehouses  were  as  constantly 
replaced  by  a  steady,  unhurried  procession  of  uniform  cases, 
each  one  containing  one  size  of  one  article.  These  were 
factory  methods  indeed !  One  would  say  that  production 
had  become  automatic.  But  let  an  emergency  throw  open 
the  throttle  and  the  ''machine"  responded  with  an  elasticity 
of  effort,  a  determination  to  accomplish  the  impossible 
that  is  the  greatest  birthright  of  human  genius. 


THE    COMRADESHIP  33 

One  day  an  army  consignment  went  astray  and  a  trans- 
port was  sailing  minus  its  equipment  of  surgical  dressings. 
Could  the  Red  Cross  help  ?  The  appeal  came  at  11 :  00  a.m. 
At  two  that  afternoon  the  ship  was  on  her  way  ''over  there," 
with  the  requisite  number  of  Red  Cross  boxes  stored  in  her 
hold.  When  the  influenza  epidemic  reached  the  United 
States  on  its  westward  journey,  the  Red  Cross  Chapters 
turned  out  1,250,000  germ-proof  masks  in  two  weeks.  One 
day  an  S.  0.  S.  call  came  into  central  Headquarters.  Con- 
tagion was  rampant  in  an  Iowa  camp  and  the  hospital  must 
have  ward  masks.  Chicago  had  none  on  hand,  but  she  knew 
where  they  were  to  be  had,  and  in  three  days,  twenty  thou- 
sand of  the  precious  filters  were  on  their  way  from  a  northern 
neighbor.  The  thirty  thousand  and  more  Red  Cross  work- 
rooms were  cogs  in  a  great  machine,  but  it  was  a  human 
mechanism,  welded  from  millions  of  heads  and  hearts  and 
hands. 

The  women  of  America  from  the  day  they  first  took  up 
the  burden  of  war  to  October  1,  1918,  made  and  packed  and 
shipped  253,000,000  surgical  dressings;  22,000,000  articles 
of  hospital  suppHes;  14,000,000  sweaters,  socks,  comfort 
bags,  etc.,  for  soldiers  and  sailors,  and  1,000,000  refugee 
garments  —  291,000,000  pledges  that  America's  women  were 
right  behind  the  flag.  The  value  of  this  gift  cannot  be 
measured  by  its  bulk  nor  by  the  $60,000,000  or  more  that 
it  would  bring  in  open  market.  The  manner  of  its  giving 
put  it  beyond  price.  It  was  a  splendid  gesture  of  courage, 
faith  and  love,  commensurate  only  to  the  human  misery 
it  has  lessened,  the  human  courage  it  had  stiffened  to  "carry 
on"  against  all  odds.  The  httle  red  labels  sewed  into  every 
chapter-made  garment  carried  the  propaganda  of  good  will 
around  the  world. 

The  gray  uniforms  of  the  Red  Cross  Motor  Corps  were  a 
familiar  sight  in  the  streets  of  many  cities.  Between  six 
and  seven  thousand  women  were  enrolled  in  the  Chapters' 


34     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

transportation  system.  In  trucks  and  ambulances  and  in 
their  own  cars  they  went  about  the  Chapters'  business; 
they  carried  workers  and  food  to  and  from  the  canteens ; 
they  hauled  Chapter  supplies  and  hospital  patients  and 
visiting  personages.  Their  obedience  to  orders  and  their 
promptness  in  reporting  for  duty  were  as  military  as  their 
uniforms.  The  Motor  Corps  was  no  place  for  faddists ;  it 
was  a  working  organization  of  skilled  drivers  and  mechanics. 
The  prerequisites  for  the  first  division  of  membership 
included  a  course  in  automobile  mechanics,  sanitary  troop 
drill  and  first  aid,  a  chauffeur's  license,  and  physical  examina- 
tion. The  members  gave  at  least  sixteen  hours'  service  a 
week.  Local  emergencies  proved  their  spirit.  During  the 
influenza  epidemic,  many  drivers  stayed  on  their  jobs  twelve 
and  fifteen  hours  a  day  and  slept  in  the  garages  beside  their 
cars. 

At  seven  hundred  railroad  junction  points  where  troop 
trains  stopped  to  take  on  coal  and  ice,  Red  Cross  canteeners 
were  always  waiting  to  greet  the  cramped  and  train-weary 
men  with  something  to  add  to  their  comfort.  In  winter,  it 
was  coffee  and  sandwiches ;  in  summer,  watermelon  or  ice 
cream.  Newspapers,  magazines,  postal  cards,  and  stamps 
were  popular  the  year  round.  The  gift,  small  as  it  was, 
embodied  enough  good  fellowship  to  last  till  the  next  stop. 

The  Red  Cross  is  dedicated  to  the  defeat  of  suffering.  Its 
work  in  the  face  of  actual  disaster  is  the  last  stand  of  the 
battle.  It  begins  in  the  Red  Cross  classes  of  instruction. 
The  Chapter  is  the  evangel  of  physical  efficiency.  Crys- 
taUized  in  three  slim  textbooks,  ''First- Aid,"  "Home  Dietet- 
ics," ''Elementary  Hygiene  and  Home  Care  of  the  Sick," 
there  is  enough  simple  knowledge  to  shield  a  whole  com- 
munity from  petty  emergencies  and  the  insidious  encroach- 
ments of  disease  and  dirt.  First-aid  classes  were  organized 
in  January,  1910.  In  eight  years,  85,257  certificates  have 
been  issued.     First-aid   contests  are  an  annual  event  in 


THE   COMRADESHIP  35 

many  industrial  plants.  Sixty  thousand  women  have 
learned  to  make  their  homes  strongholds  of  healthy  lives. 

Home  Service  —  a  strong  hand  holding  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  families  from  disintegration  under  the  dead 
weight  of  war  —  may  be  a  matter  of  economic  and  social 
laws  among  the  file  cases  at  Headquarters,  but  in  the  Chapter 
it  resolves  itself  into  individual  problems  in  neighborliness, 
vivid  with  personality,  inspired  by  loyalty  to  the  absent 
soldiers  of  democracy. 

In  April,  1917,  the  Red  Cross  had  555  Chapters.  Most  of 
them  were  in  the  Eastern  States  and  in  large  cities.  To-day 
3874  Chapters  stand  on  the  Red  Cross  rolls,  and  throughout 
the  land  there  is  no  county  that  does  not  boast  of  at  least 
one  Auxiliary.  The  pre-war  membership  of  486,394  is 
lost  in  the  mighty  army  of  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls, 
who  answer  with  30,000,000  voices  to  the  Red  Cross  roll 
call.  Sixteen  million  joined  during  one  week  of  the  1917 
Christmas  drive. 

The  rallying  of  the  comradeship  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  great 
romances  of  democracy.  Millionaire  and  miner,  red  Indian, 
white  man,  and  negro  marched  shoulder  to  shoulder  in  the 
army  of  mercy.  One  of  the  most  stirring  chapters  in  the 
whole  series  is  the  tale  of  the  Fourteenth  Division.  When  we 
entered  the  war,  it  was  felt  that  through  the  Red  Cross 
these  exiled  Americans  scattered  around  the  globe  might 
help  do  their  bit.  As  a  result,  the  roll  calls  of  the  Red 
Cross  echoed  from  Cairo  to  Vladivostok  and  from  Buenos 
Ayres  to  Tokio.  In  its  workrooms  thousands  of  more  or 
less  homesick  Americans  felt  closer  to  the  state  than  they 
had  for  many  years.  In  Porto  Rico  and  Hawaii,  in  the 
PhiHppines  and  Guam  and  the  Virgin  Islands,  men, 
women,  and  little  children  found  a  new  meaning  to  their 
American  citizenship. 

Incidentally,  it  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  state  that  when 
we  figured  up  the  result  of  our  second  appeal  to  the  country 


36     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

for  another  $100,000,000,  which  resulted  in  a  total  sub- 
scription of  more  than  $182,000,000,  we  found  that  the 
Fourteenth  Division  had  contributed  $1,700,000  to  this 
fund,  which  meant  that  the  Fourteenth  Division  had  gone 
over  six  times  its  quota. 

One  thing  more  :  in  less  than  a  year  the  scattered  Chapters 
of  the  Fourteenth  Division  turned  in  a  million  and  a  half 
dollars'  worth  of  supplies,  knitted  goods  from  China  and 
Chile,  surgical  dressings  from  Brazil  and  Spain,  tons  of 
guava  jelly  from  Porto  Rico  destined  for  French  hospitals, 
and  Havana  cigars  and  cigarettes  from  Cuba.  Red  Cross 
work  also  was  carried  on  in  the  little  island  of  Exuma  —  a 
scrap  of  land  not  to  be  found  on  most  maps.  In  Costa 
Rica  twenty  knitters  called  for  the  second  hundred  dollar 
lot  of  wool  in  four  months,  and  knitting  needles  being  scarce 
they  made  their  own  from  cocobolo  wood.  The  Fourteenth 
Division  planted  the  outposts  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
around  the  world. 


CHAPTER   IV 

WORK   FOR   THE    SOLDIER   AT   HOME 

Aim  of  the  Government  —  Relation  of  the  Department  of  Military  Re- 
lief to  the  Army  —  Service  at  Railroad  Stations  —  Numbers  of  Can- 
teens —  New  Work  for  Women  —  Death  to  a  Libel  —  Canteen 
Functions  Defined  by  Army  Orders  —  Canteen  Records  —  Washing- 
ton Union  Station  Canteen  —  Many-sided  Service  —  One  Month's 
Statistics  —  Sanitary  Branch  of  the  Service  —  Camp  Service  —  Red 
Cross  Field  Director. 

THE  United  States  Government  started  out  with  the 
definite  intent  that  the  American  soldier  should  be  the 
best  conditioned,  the  best  fed,  and  the  best  cared-for  soldier 
in  the  world  ;  the  verdict  of  a  proud  and  grateful  people  is  that 
the  Government,  taking  everything  into  consideration,  came 
very  near  to  realizing  its  purpose.  In  truth,  the  fitness  and 
fighting  qualities  of  these  men  —  men  who  a  year  before  had 
been  shuffling  along  in  a  thousand-and-one  different  trades 
—  proved  to  be  the  happiest  as  well  as  the  biggest  surprise 
of  the  war  to  tired  and  disheartened  Europe. 

In  lending  a  hand  to  the  Army,  cooperation  between  the 
Red  Cross  and  the  Government  was  necessarily  close  but, 
oddly  enough,  no  phase  of  our  work  is  less  known  than  the 
almost  herculean  labor  undertaken  on  behalf  of  the  soldier. 

To  a  large  number  of  people  the  military  work  of  the  Red 
Cross  is  personified  in  the  figure  of  a  girl  in  khaki  passing 
out  coffee  and  sandwiches  to  grinning  soldiers  who,  already, 
look  a  hundred  per  cent  nourished.  This  trite  picture  does 
not  begin  to  tell  the  story.  The  soldier  himself,  unless  he 
be  a  very  thoughtful  and  observant  man,  does  not  know 

37 


38     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE    GREAT   WAR 

how  strongly  and  at  how  many  points  and  angles  the  Red 
Cross  has  influenced  his  mental  attitude,  his  moral  conduct, 
and  his  physical  condition. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  departmental  organization 
of  the  Red  Cross  and  the  distribution  of  its  duties  incident 
to  war.  Moreover,  it  may  be  unnecessary  to  add  that  the 
men  and  women  engaged  in  all  these  various  departments 
were,  every  one,  convinced  that  their  own  department  was 
the  biggest  and  most  vital ;  but  it  was  this  conviction, 
nevertheless,  that  inspired  their  work  and  actuated  the 
whole  machine.  It  is  also  true  that  as  we  follow  the  soldier 
on  his  long  journey  to  the  battleground,  and  back  again, 
each  stage  as  it  is  passed  seems  to  yield  in  importance  to 
the  next. 

In  all  the  formative  stage  of  the  soldier's  development  and, 
for  that  matter,  at  every  step  of  his  service,  of  all  the  depart- 
ments of  the  Red  Cross  that  of  Military  Relief  was  closest 
to  him.  In  his  cosmos  that  department  and  no  other  com- 
prised the  Red  Cross. 

A  large  part  of  the  work  of  the  department  of  Military 
Relief  was  merged  in  the  Medical  Service  of  the  Army.  The 
base  hospitals  with  their  personnel,  which  were  organized 
and  equipped  by  the  Red  Cross  as  part  of  its  official  business, 
became  automatically  a  part  of  the  Army  organization 
when  they  were  sent  into  service  overseas.  There  re- 
mained under  Red  Cross  administration,  for  the  purpose 
of  utility  and  to  simplify  the  Army  mechanism,  the  bureaus 
whose  sphere  was  broader  and  more  elastic  and  whose  func- 
tions were  not  an  actual  part  of  the  war-making  business. 
They  were,  in  a  way,  the  left  hand  of  the  service.  Under 
this  head  may  be  grouped  the  Bureau  of  Canteens,  the 
Bureau  of  Camp  Service,  the  Bureau  of  Motor  Service, 
and  the  Bureau  of  Sanitary  Service. 

The  American  boy  —  up  to  forty-five  —  bumped  into  the 
Red  Cross  at  the  very  moment  almost  of  leaving  his  home 


WORK   FOR   THE   SOLDIER  AT   HOME  39 

door  for  the  training  camp.  The  last  thing  he  saw  from  the 
train  as  the  old  town  faded  behind  him  was  the  Red  Cross 
girl  he  had  known  from  babyhood,  waving  good-by ;  and  at 
the  first  station  were  a  group  of  Red  Cross  girls  to  let  him 
know  that  the  folks  back  home  were  not  the  only  ones  who 
cared. 

Here  is  where  the  illustrative  instances  begin,  showing 
how  this  Red  Cross  factor  pervading  every  stage  in  the  work 
of  soldier-building  made  for  a  general  cleaning-up.  It  is 
related  that  in  the  early  days  of  the  war  the  mayor  of  a 
western  town  in  the  exuberance  of  his  feelings  presented  each 
man  of  the  town's  draft  quota  with  a  bottle  of  whisky  for 
''deoch  an'  doris."  The  next  station  was  a  canteen  town 
where  Red  Cross  women  waited  to  welcome  the  troop  train. 
When  the  Red  Cross  report  of  that  visitation  reached  the 
War  Department  the  instant  reaction  was  the  brassard  on 
the  sleeve  of  every  drafted  man,  and  thenceforth  it  was  a 
penitentiary  offense  to  give  or  sell  him  intoxicants. 

During  the  early  period  of  mobilization  it  was  not  realized 
that  the  services  of  the  Red  Cross  would  be  needed  at  rail- 
road stations.  But  when  the  railroads  began  to  feel  the 
strain  of  moving  hundreds  of  thousands  of  troops,  and  trains 
began  to  be  late,  the  inevitable  emergencies  arose :  it  was 
not  enough  to  have  Army  dining-rooms  at  regular  intervals 
along  the  route  but  the  Red  Cross  must  be  ready  to  feed  and 
take  care  of  the  men  at  all  stations.  Secretary  Baker's 
request  that  the  Red  Cross  take  over  this  work  acted  like 
magic  on  the  women  of  America.  The  whole  nation  was 
mobilized  overnight. 

And  so  it  was  that  when  the  armistice  was  signed  there 
were  in  the  United  States  781  canteens  where  70,000  women 
with  military  organizations  were  doing  yeoman  service. 
They  not  only  gave  the  soldier  a  hft  when  he  needed  it,  but 
they  themselves  discovered  a  new  meaning  in  service  and 
came  to  the  knowledge  that  life  is  real  and  that  there  is 


40     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

beauty  in  its  reality.  There  were  women  scrubbing  floors 
in  Red  Cross  canteens  who  had  never  done  a  day's  work 
before  in  their  hves.  But  the  thought  that  they  were  helping 
made  them  happy. 

When  the  canteen  women  at  one  of  our  debarkation  ports 
were  first  called  upon  to  take  care  of  the  wounded  men,  who 
had  now  begun  to  come  back  from  war,  they  said  they 
couldn't  stand  the  awfulness  of  it.  But  they  did.  The 
cheerfulness  of  these  poor  fellows  shamed  them  into  self- 
sacrifice.  Forgetfulness  of  self  strengthened  these  women's 
characters  and  illumined  their  souls.  In  the  change  that 
war  service  has  brought  to  the  women  of  America,  many 
an  old  fetish  has  gone  by  the  board. 

The  incident  described  in  the  following  letter  from  a 
canteen  worker  in  Charlotte,  N.  C,  and  of  which  there 
were  many  similar  occurrences  all  through  the  Southern 
States  after  America  went  to  war,  shows  that  the  Red 
Cross  is  not  a  thing  of  race  or  color  and  should  be  the  last 
word  of  proof  of  this  growth  in  patriotism :  — 

"To-day  we  had  a  fine  example  of  discipline  and  its  value.  Thirty- 
colored  saUors  stopped  at  the  Canteen  hut.  When  we  went  to  serve  them 
they  were  drawoi  up  in  two  lines  and  stood  at  attention.  As  if  with  one 
voice,  they  said,  'To  the  Red  Cross,'  and  saluted.  As  we  passed  down  the 
line,  each  man  as  he  was  served  removed  his  hat  and  bowed,  but  did  not 
speak.  After  all  were  served,  they  sang  all  sorts  of  songs,  gave  a  rousing 
cheer  for  our  Country,  the  Red  Cross  and  Charlotte  Canteen.  It  was 
one  of  the  most  affecting  experiences  we  have  had  and  our  Chairman  went 
back  to  the  hut  and  cried.  These  men  had  crossed  the  ocean  eleven 
times." 

The  war  and  the  canteen  sounded  the  knell  of  one  ancient 
fallacy  that  should  long  ago  have  been  laid  to  rest.  In  order 
to  insure  prompt  supply  of  needed  food  or  special  service 
that  the  canteen  could  furnish,  the  troop  train  commander 
wired  his  requisition  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  next 
canteen  ahead.  This  involved  imparting  a  knowledge  of 
the  movement  of  troops,  which  had  been  reUgiously  guarded 


WORK  FOR  THE   SOLDIER  AT   HOME  41 

to  forestall  the  ubiquitous  alien  enemy  and  his  secret  wireless. 
The  service  oath  of  the  canteen  worker  bound  her  not  to 
disclose  this  knowledge  to  ''a  Uving  soul."  For  centuries 
fathers  have  inculcated  in  their  sons  the  belief  that  a  woman 
cannot  keep  a  secret.  It  is  a  matter  of  record  that  seventy 
thousand  women  dispelled  this  fallacy.  In  war  time  loyalty 
becomes  a  religion. 

The  vital  importance  of  the  Canteen  Service  of  the  Red 
Cross  can  be  reahzed  from  the  reliance  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment upon  it  for  all  sorts  of  emergency  work  essential  to 
the  rapid  transportation  of  troops.  The  soldier's  need  of 
food  and  drink  was  reason  enough  for  the  canteen ;  but 
the  Army  orders  to  troop-train  commanders  and  canteen 
officers,  defining  the  canteen  functions  and  outlining  its 
use,  confirmed  its  value  as  a  wheel  in  the  great  mechanism. 
This,  like  every  other  department  of  the  Red  Cross,  did  the 
things  which  the  Army  could  not  do  without  slowing  down 
the  business  of  war.  The  Red  Cross  could  be  depended 
upon  to  find  a  short  cut,  if  there  was  one,  to  the  furtherance 
of  its  ends.  Its  service  was  not  confined  to  the  maintenance 
of  good  spirit  by  providing  soldiers  with  food,  tobacco, 
newspapers,  postal  cards  to  keep  in  touch  with  home, 
shower  baths,  recreation  grounds,  medical  supplies,  and  other 
aids  to  comfort ;  on  telegraphic  order  from  the  troop-train 
commander  the  canteen  provided  supplies  of  all  kinds, 
whether  commissary  or  medical,  and  lodging  and  meals 
where  needed.  It  is  not  treason  to  say  that  Army  stores 
sometimes  go  wrong  —  in  fact,  it  would  be  strange  indeed 
if  such  were  not  the  case.  There  have  been  instances  where 
detachments  of  soldiers  have  rolled  into  canteen  stations 
without  having  had  a  bite  to  eat  or  a  sup  to  drink  through  a 
long  weary,  empty  day. 

But  there  are  other  untoward  things  that  happened. 
The  Army  called  further  on  the  canteens  to  arrange  for 
surgeon,  dentist,  or  physician  to  meet  trains  on  wired  re- 


42     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

quest ;  it  authorized  them  to  accept  sick  or  even  dead 
men  for  transfer,  and  to  give  receipt  for  them  to  the  officer 
in  command.  There  were  mihtary  books  of  instruction 
covering  all  this  service  and  every  train  commander  had 
one.  They  listed  all  the  canteen  stations  along  their 
route  on  every  railroad,  indicating  the  equipment  of  each 
in  detail  and  the  service  it  was  able  to  provide.  There 
were  voluminous  Army  orders  covering  in  minute  particular 
the  procedure  for  the  soldier  who  was  left  behind  or  missed 
his  troop  train  while  on  furlough  or  in  transit,  and  for  the 
Red  Cross  in  giving  help  to  him.  These  orders  also  provided 
for  the  disposition  of  all  sick  or  injured  soldiers  who  might 
be  turned  over  to  the  Red  Cross  at  canteen  stations ;  the 
contingency  of  a  soldier's  death,  the  care  of  his  remains  and 
the  notification  of  his  family  were  likewise  prescribed  in 
detail.  Here  entered  the  Red  Cross  Bureau  of  Home 
Service,  which  is  another  important  story. 

These  things  were  not  mere  possibilities,  but  actually 
came  to  pass.  Forty-five  canteens  in  the  Southern  States 
during  the  month  of  August  furnished  medical  treatment 
to  1180  men  and  22  were  removed  to  hospitals,  either 
military  or  civil.  For  record  of  all  removals  of  men  from 
trains,  whether  living  or  dead,  there  were  transfer  slips 
in  duplicate  with  all  details  regarding  the  soldier,  his 
service  record,  his  malady,  and  the  hospital  to  which  he 
was  dispatched.  By  these  records  the  train  commander 
accounted  to  the  War  Department  for  his  missing.  Simul- 
taneously, cards  were  sent  to  the  Communications  and  Home 
Service  officers  who,  forthwith,  established  relations  with 
the  soldier's  family  and  summoned  them,  if  he  happened  to 
be  dangerously  ill. 

There  was  a  wide  range  of  facilities  offered  by  the  more 
important  canteens  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  In 
large  towns  where  there  were  big  chapter  organizations  and 
war  enthusiasm  ran  high,  elaborate  equipment  was  installed 


-^      Eh 


WORK   FOR   THE   SOLDIER  AT   HOME  43 

for  bathing  and,  in  some  places,  for  swimming,  and  the 
menu  of  refreshments  sent  back  home  on  the  Red  Cross 
postal  cards  made  the  home  folk  think  that  soldiering  was 
an  easy  life  after  all.  In  many  ways,  the  most  noteworthy 
canteen  in  the  country  was  that  in  the  Washington  Union 
Station.  It  was  formerly  the  presidential  suite,  but  was 
given  over  by  President  Wilson  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war.  Its  spacious  reception  room,  conference  rooms, 
and  offices,  were  filled  daily  with  way-bound  soldiers. 
There  were  refectory-rooms,  reading-rooms,  lounging-rooms, 
and  all  sorts  of  rooms  for  the  doughboy,  who  was  wont  to  idle 
in  the  station  at  night  waiting  for  the  early  train  to  bear 
him  away.  There  were  baths  and  sleeping  places  near  at 
hand  where  he  could  go  if  he  wished. 

This  ser\'ice  of  the  canteens  was  many  sided  :  it  not  only 
made  the  soldier  comfortable  but  it  kept  him  from  the 
station-saloon  and  other  temptations  of  the  night,  and  went 
further  than  most  people  know  towards  keeping  him  clean 
and  straight  and  ready  for  his  big  job.  In  the  great  inland 
stations  hke  Chicago,  this  service  had  almost  no  boundaries. 
Through  the  confusion,  incident  to  war  preparations,  it 
happened,  frequently,  that  the  men  traveling  from  the 
Atlantic  coast  to  far  western  posts  found  that  their  tickets 
read  to  Chicago  only  and  money  for  the  remainder  of  the 
journey  was,  likewise,  lacking.  Here  again  the  Red  Cross 
stepped  in  to  feed  and  send  the  men  on  their  way. 

In  almost  every  canteen  of  consequence  there  was  a 
surgical  ward  —  a  neat  little  hospital  equipped  for  as  many 
as  ten  or  twelve  men  and  a  doctor  who,  without  a  summons, 
was  patriotic  enough  to  meet  the  troop  trains  on  the 
chance  that  some  soldier  might  need  him. 

The  intimate  stories  of  canteens  that  are  ''different," 
in  all  parts  of  the  country,  would  make  a  huge  volume. 
There  were  college  girls  who  set  up  extraordinary  canteens 
in   university  boathouses  that  were  equipped  with  every- 


44     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

thing  under  the  sun ;  there  were  canteens  that  were  famous 
all  over  France  for  certain  articles  of  food,  and  were  a 
pleasant  memory  through  trying  days.  The  Staten  Island 
canteen  at  Tompkinsville  Naval  Station  was  known, 
probably,  in  every  port  for  "pie  like  mother  used  to 
make."  Little  branches  and  auxiliaries  off  the  main  lines 
of  travel  which  never  saw  the  passing  show  but  were  none 
the  less  eager  to  help  along,  baked,  canned,  and  pickled 
all  manner  of  things,  and  the  Motor  Corps  girls  came 
and  toted  the  output  to  the  railroad.  The  whole  busi- 
ness was  developed  in  an  astonishingly  brief  space  of 
time.  Who,  in  pre-war  days,  would  have  thought  of  classes 
in  the  art  of  ''handing  out  lunches  on  the  fly  "  ? 

Speed,  indeed,  was  the  order  of  the  day.  When  the 
detachment  of  fifty  men  tumbled  into  a  canteen  without 
notice  and  empty  as  drums  they  were  fed  nights,  days,  and 
Sundays;  and  when  the  Sergeant  with  a  dozen  sick  men 
asked  for  invalid  food  the  Motor  Corps  ''hustled  it  up." 
And  then  there  was  the  newly  married  man  from  the  hill 
country  and  his  weeping,  girl-wife  who  had  just  learned 
that  she  could  not  follow  her  man  to  war  and  who  lacked 
the  wherewithal  to  purchase  a  ticket  back  home;  needless 
to  say  the  ticket  was  placed  in  her  hands  and  everything 
done  to  send  her  more  cheerfully  on  her  way.  On  the 
Hoboken  docks,  one  rainy  night,  the  Canteen  Chief  found 
a  hundred  or  more  soldiers  who  had  come  from  the  war  to 
train  new  troops.  They  had  no  food,  no  money,  and  no- 
where to  go  —  not  even  the  solace  of  a  smoke.  When  that 
company  got  up  from  a  large  hot  meal  and  a  long  cigar, 
and  had  slept  and  breakfasted  and  had  a  ticket  for  their 
destination,  there  were  a  hundred  odd  more  men  who  knew 
something  of  what  the  Red  Cross  meant. 

In  the  station  at  Goldsboro,  N.  C,  was  a  soldier  on 
crutches  who  had  finished  with  war  and  was  making  his 
slow  way  home.     When  the  canteener  learned  that  he  had 


WORK   FOR   THE   SOLDIER  AT   HOME  45 

come  through  the  fighting  of  Chateau-Thierry,  she  gathered 
the  men,  five  hundred  of  them,  from  the  next  troop  train, 
and  got  him  to  make  them  a  speech.  That  voice,  straight 
from  the  front,  sent  them  away  cheering  madly  and  vowing 
to  square  him  with  the  Kaiser. 

Altogether  it  is  wonderful  record  of  service.  There  is  no 
way  of  telling  half  its  story.  Statistics,  which  are  more  or 
less  unconvincing,  have  only  recently  reached  the  stage  of 
compilation,  but  one  month's  figures  from  only  about  forty 
odd  per  cent  of  the  canteens  of  the  United  States,  tell  this 
interesting  tale :  — 

Men  served 2,416,000 

Sick  aided 2,552 

Removed  to  hospital 83 

Value  of  supplies  requisitioned $9,950 

Value  of  supplies  furnished  free $81,890 

Postals  distributed 1,215,000 

Cigarettes  distributed 2,140,000 

Canteen  workers 17,168 

Canteens  reporting 267 

Canteens  not  reporting 399 

The  Sanitary  branch  of  the  service  was  efficacious  in 
meeting  emergencies,  and  the  things  it  did,  while  they  do 
not  appear  outwardly  as  service  to  the  soldier,  none  the 
less  reacted  upon  him  in  the  largest  way  possible.  An 
illustrative  one  was  the  work  which  was  done  at  one  of 
the  Army  Camps.  Camps,  it  may  be  well  to  admit,  were 
not  always  located  in  ideal  places,  not  always  where  the 
Army  would  have  put  them  if  it  alone  had  had  the  choosing. 
This  particular  camp  had  a  swamp  beside  it  —  a  swamp 
where  the  highly  armored  mosquito  made  merry  on  his 
rounds,  delivering  malaria  to  any  unlucky  human  whom 
fortune  might  send  his  way.  To  the  Army  Staff  it  was  plain 
enough  that  the  swamp  spelled  trouble  in  capital  letters, 
unless  it  were  promptly  drained.     Yet  in  the  statutes  there 


46    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

was  a  stubborn  little  law,  born  no  doubt  of  the  iniquitous 
land  juggling  of  early  days  in  the  West,  which  forbade  the 
improvement  of  private  property  at  public  expense.  But 
there  was  no  law  to  keep  the  Red  Cross  from  doing  the  job, 
which  it  proceeded  promptly  to  do,  the  cost  of  which  was 
$7000.  In  the  opinion  of  the  Surgeon  General's  Office, 
this  work  forestalled  an  epidemic  which  was  positively 
scheduled  to  appear  in  the  spring  and  which  would  have  laid 
on  the  Army  a  continual  tax  in  man  power  and  expense. 

This  Sanitary  Service,  which  was  conducted  as  an  adjunct 
to  the  Federal  Department  of  Public  Health  and  in  co- 
operation with  the  state  and  local  health  boards,  and  which 
shared  their  powers  under  state  law,  was  indeed  one  of  the 
most  fundamental  and  omnipresent  of  all  Red  Cross  activi- 
ties for  the  preservation  of  Army  health.  It  did  not  doctor 
sick  soldiers;  the  Army  did  that.  But  Sanitary  Service 
went  further  back :  it  doctored  the  country  for  five  miles 
around  the  camps;  it  diagnosed  the  fields  and  streams 
and  ferreted  out  behind  the  camouflage  of  landscape  the 
hidden  machine  guns  of  disease,  which  in  one  summer  can 
shoot  an  Army  cantonment  full  of  holes  ;  it  ditched  the  sink- 
holes and  swamps  that  breed  and  harbor  the  carriers;  it 
sprayed  with  fatal  oils  the  streams  and  ponds  and  ditches 
on  thousands  of  ancient  and  diseaseful  well-curbs  and 
sounded  the  death  knell  of  the  ''Old  Oaken  Bucket."  It 
put  old  vaults  where  they  could  no  longer  spread  sickness ; 
it  combed  the  stables  of  near-by  farmers  with  a  rigorous 
hand  and  drove  them  into  at  least  the  ''B  "grade,  or  else 
out  of  business.  Dirty  or  tuberculous  milk  simply  could 
not  be  sold  to  soldiers.  Nor  were  unsanitary  conditions 
allowed  to  prevail  where  food  was  served:  A  restaurant 
keeper  who  had  a  military  policeman  before  his  door  for 
a  week  warning  soldiers  away  was  a  poor  bookkeeper  in 
not  discerning  the  business  wisdom  of  cleaning  house. 

To-day,  the  Sanitary  Service  maintains  medical  inspectors 


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WORK   FOR   THE   SOLDIER  AT   HOME  47 

of  schools  and  homes  and  even  churches.  It  vaccinates 
everybody  who  needs  it.  The  Pubhc  Health  Department's 
nurses  —  all  graduates  —  are  promptly  available  for  com- 
bating epidemics.  For  bacteriological  purposes  there  are 
laboratories,  sometimes  newly  established  for  the  emergency. 
And  to  safeguard  against  a  crying  need  the  Red  Cross  has 
furnished  at  substantial  cost  four  laboratory  cars  which, 
the  English  sanitarians  and  car  builders  agree,  are  the  last 
word  in  point  of  convenience  and  equipment.  These  can 
be  hooked  on  to  fast  trains  and  delivered  on  the  front  of  an 
epidemic's  advance,  civil  or  military,  with  amazing  alacrity. 

Thus,  on  every  side  the  soldier  was  guarded  against  all 
that  had  in  it  any  potential  possibility  of  injury  to  his  health, 
and  the  sanitary  forces  which  were  combined  for  the  physical 
protection  of  the  army  camps  built  up  health  organizations 
of  the  highest  order  all  over  the  United  States.  In  many 
lines,  standards  were  established  and  methods  of  purification 
set  up  which  will  outlast  all  wars. 

In  our  supersensitive  land  we  have  a  fashion  of  side- 
stepping reference  to  what  we  term  social  disease.  If  the 
Army  had  been  as  squeamish  there  would  have  been  a 
different  story  told  in  the  Saint  Mihiel  salient.  The  Public 
Health  authorities  and  the  Red  Cross  Bureau  of  Sanitation, 
as  well  as  the  War  Department  itself,  recognizing  in  this 
thing  a  peril  greater,  even,  than  tuberculosis,  laid  hold  on 
it  barehanded.  There  are  thirty-seven  states  now  that 
have  made  venereal  ailments  reportable;  whereas,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war  there  were  but  five.  The  program 
was  to  stamp  out  this  thing  at  its  source.  The  arm  of 
military  law  is  long :  It  reached  into  far  villages  that 
sent  soldiers  to  the  Army,  and  the  Army  lever  to  pry  the 
truth  from  men  is  strong.  The  day  is  here  when  the  dis- 
tributors of  sex  poison,  professional  or  otherwise,  will  be 
put  where  they  can  no  longer  foul  the  nation's  life. 

In  the  more  wholesome  field  of  Red  Cross  work  for  the 


48     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

soldier  in  camp,  there  was  an  activity  that  knew  almost  no 
rest  and  no  limit.  Keeping  in  close  touch  with  the  man 
from  the  time  he  landed  within  the  reservation  until  he 
finished  his  training,  it  tried  to  make  him  bear  in  mind  that 
it  was  there  to  help  him  get  rid  of  his  worries  and  to 
smooth  his  road.  An  unsung  genius  who  saw  how  the 
thing  worked  out  crystallized  it  in  this  stanza :  — 

'Don't  pack  your  troubles  in  your  old  kit  bag, 
Tell  'em  to  the  Red  Cross  man." 

That  is  the  story  in  a  very  few  words.  The  Red  Cross 
built  houses  in  all  the  thirty-nine  camps  at  first  established. 
When  the  war  closed  it  had  nurses'  houses  in  connection  with 
base  hospitals  in  more  than  forty-two  different  camps,  posts, 
and  Army  hospitals;  it  had  convalescent  houses  in  sixty- 
three  military  and  naval  establishments  and  rooms  in  others 
furnished  for  convalescent  purposes.  There  were  nearly 
six  hundred  men  and  women  in  the  Camp  Service  offices, 
and  fifty-nine  directors  doing  communication  service  at 
base,  general,  naval,  and  embarkation  hospitals.  There 
were  no  large  camps,  posts,  or  stations  for  the  training  of 
soldiers,  sailors,  or  marines  not  covered  by  the  Bureau  of 
Camp  Service,  and  when  peace  came  the  small  places  were 
being  added  to  the  list  as  quickly  as  possible. 

It  is  difficult  for  the  person  who  has  never  seen  one  of  the 
great  Army  camps,  with  its  miles  of  barracks  and  hospital 
buildings  and  warehouses,  the  far-reaching  avenues  and 
endless  company  streets,  the  brand-new  drainage  system, 
the  garages  and  fire  houses,  commissary  stores  and  officers' 
quarters,  rest  houses,  mess  quarters  and  remount  buildings 
and  all  its  innumerable  housings  of  soldiery,  to  form  a 
mental  picture  of  the  setting  in  which  the  Red  Cross  Head- 
quarters was  located.  Through  all  the  hours  of  daylight 
the  movement  never  ceased.  It  was  an  endless  reel  of 
motion  filled  with  the  burly,  brown  figures  of  a  man  popula- 
tion, and  the  air  vibrated  with  their  clatter.     There  was  the 


WORK   FOR   THE    SOLDIER   AT   HOME  49 

rhythmic  beat  of  tramping  recruits,  going  through  the  ever- 
lasting evolutions  of  drill,  and  the  murmur  of  many  voices. 
There  were  individual  figures  "hay  footing"  to  and  fro  on 
a  thousand  errands,  working  detachments  whose  blue 
"rompers"  were  almost  a  foreign  note  in  the  khaki  sym- 
phony, mule-teams,  trucks,  and  commissary-wagons,  loads  of 
hay  and  loads  of  drain  pipes,  tents,  and  supplies  —  every- 
body going  somewhere  and  doing  some  one  thing.  Scattered 
everywhere,  singly  or  in  groups,  were  soldiers,  soldiers, 
soldiers.  The  thought  that  every  soldier  lazing  down  the 
road,  every  disconsolate  mule  browsing  on  the  scanty 
herbage,  every  single  thing,  animate  or  inanimate,  was  a 
duly  recognized  and  numbered  item  in  either  the  personnel 
or  the  furnishing  of  an  Army  summoned  up  a  \'ision  of 
bookkeeping  which  staggered  the  imagination. 

Let  no  one  imagine  that  the  day  of  the  Red  Cross  Field 
Director  at  any  busy  Army  camp  was  a  day  of  rest.  He 
was  the  officer  in  command  of  Red  Cross  activities  at  every 
camp  and  cantonment.  There  was  no  busier  man  on  the 
premises,  and  the  fact  that  he  worked  for  nothing  never 
seemed  to  slow  him  down.  Moreover,  the  qualification 
test  that  he  had  to  pass  to  get  the  job  was  not  an  easy  one : 
tact,  caution,  initiative,  calmness,  firmness,  and  persistency 
were  a  part  of  his  necessary  equipment  —  he  need  be  many 
types  of  men  all  in  one. 

There  were  no  bankers'  hours  in  the  Camp  Service.  The 
camp  turned  out  at  six  when  the  Red  Cross  man  was  on  his 
job  mapping  out  the  day's  work,  examining  and  preparing 
to  fulfill  orders  from  the  camp  commandant  or  the  chief 
surgeon,  going  through  a  mail  that  was  full  of  Home  Service 
problems,  a  hundred  individual  cases,  official  communica- 
tions, and  "axes  to  grind."  There  might  be  requests  for 
help  in  securing  discharges,  for  the  Red  Cross  —  with  its 
facilities  for  investigation  and  its  standing  with  the  War 
Department  —  could  present  the  story  of  a  man  who  had 


50     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE    GREAT   WAR 

a  just  claim  for  release  as  well  as  for  the  man  who  had  no 
claim  and  had  yet  to  learn  the  hopelessness  of  asking  to  be 
released.  There  were  always  a  lot  of  private  messes  that 
were  coming  up  for  settlement,  domestic  complications, 
legitimate  and  otherwise.  The  draft  brought  to  light  more 
bigamy  than  the  law  could  ever  punish.  It  brought  one 
soldier  face  to  face  in  many  a  camp  with  two  wives  and  often 
with  more.  There  were  reunions  in  Red  Cross  camp  head- 
quarters of  several  families  with  only  one  head.  It  would 
take  Solomon  and  Haroun-al-Raschid  rolled  into  one  to 
adjust  in  these  cases  the  questions  of  insurance  and  allot- 
ment. The  Red  Cross  Director  was  not  a  judge,  but  he 
was  asked  more  than  once  to  sentence  a  foolish  soldier  to 
matrimony. 

In  forty-four  of  the  camps  throughout  the  country  the 
Red  Cross  built  big  cruciform  convalescent  houses  to  give  the 
sick  or  wounded  soldier,  who  was  on  the  mend,  a  lift  up  the 
hill  —  a  cheerful  place  to  flee  to  in  his  daytime  hours  to 
escape  the  sight  of  sick  men  and  medicine  bottles,  of  tem- 
perature charts,  the  paraphernalia  of  surgery,  and  the  smell 
of  ether  and  iodoform.  It  was  a  great  thing  for  a  man  who, 
with  the  help  of  nurses  and  doctors,  had  won  a  long  uphill 
fight  against  death,  to  be  transferred  into  a  big  cheerful 
place  with  couches  and  steamer  chairs  and  sunshine,  with 
cards  and  checkers,  with  curtains  and  flowering  things, 
where  the  Library  Association  furnished  him  with  the  latest 
best-seller,  where  the  magazines  and  newspapers  were  handy 
to  restore  his  touch  with  American  life,  where  he  could 
smoke  and  swap  yarns,  and  where  his  mother  or  his  sister, 
his  wife  or  his  best  girl  could  have  a  pleasant  reception  when 
she  came  to  see  him.  It  cost  money  to  build  these  houses, 
but  they  were  worth  it. 

Then  there  was  the  warehousing  in  connection  with  Red 
Cross  administration  in  a  big  camp.  There  was  all  the 
trucking  and  handling  and  requisitioning.     Sweaters?    A 


WORK   FOR   THE   SOLDIER  AT   HOME  51 

big  packing  case  held  a  great  many.  A  mathematical 
genius  at  Camp  Cody,  away  down  in  Texas,  j&gured  up  in 
his  idle  moments  that  if  the  cases  of  sweaters  that  had  come 
in  were  ranged  in  a  row  they  would  make  a  fine  barricade 
nearly  half  a  mile  long. 

Then  there  were  the  pitiful  things  in  the  base  hospital  — 
the  things  that  laid  bare  the  quick  of  life  and  drew  forever 
on  the  reserve  fund  of  nerve  and  heart.  There  was  the 
drawing  of  wills,  the  adjustment  of  allotments,  and  the 
constant  touch  that  must  be  kept  with  all  the  teeming  and 
changing  life  of  that  city  which  was  called  a  camp.  It 
certainly  was  a  variegated  industry,  this  Camp  Service! 
A  man  of  unsteady  nerves  or  inflammable  temper  or  lacking 
in  resourcefulness  would  not  have  kept  his  sanity  in  it  longer 
than  twenty-four  hours.  It  did  not  require  continual 
searching  to  find  the  ^'gaps" ;  other  people  found  them  for 
you ;  the  Red  Cross  mission  was  to  fill  them.  To  get  soap, 
brooms,  medicine-glasses,  and  hot  water  bottles  for  a  hospital 
whose  supplies  were  held  up  on  a  railroad  siding  somewhere ; 
to  provide  a  heater  for  heating  liquids;  to  get  screens  to 
give  the  ward  patients  a  certain  amount  of  necessary 
privacy;  to  rig  up  a  building  where  junior  officers  could 
study  nights;  to  provide  entertainment  for  a  delegation 
of  Civil  War  veterans ;  to  get  a  Ford  car  for  the  Division 
Surgeon  to  go  his  rounds  in  when  an  epidemic  was  over- 
hanging the  camp ;  to  hurry  in  a  consignment  of  horse 
medicine  out  of  the  blue  sky  in  time  to  save  the  whole  herd 
of  sick  and  dying  remounts  from  being  sent  to  the  horse 
cemetery;  to  find  laundry  tubs  on  twenty-four  hours' 
notice  for  a  quarantined  regiment ;  to  skirmish  up  quarters 
for  a  staff  of  nurses  ;  and,  finally,  to  get  a  flag  to  put  on  the 
coflan  of  a  dead  soldier  on  his  last  journey  home,  represent 
a  few  of  the  requirements  and  not  even  a  decimal  part  of  the 
work  accompUshed. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   NAVY 

Red  Cross  Cooperation  with  the  Navy  —  The  Naval  Reserve  Force  — 
Medical  and  Surgical  Service  —  Hospital  Ships  Equipped  through 
the  Red  Cross  —  Lack  of  Coast  Hospitals  —  Personnel  for  Base 
Hospitals  Supplied  by  Red  Cross  —  Naval  Shore  Hospitals  Abroad  — 
Organization  of  Naval  Auxiliaries  —  Letter  of  Secretary  Daniels  — ■ 
Rush  Order  for  Surgical  Dressings  —  Camp  Service  in  Naval  Sta- 
tions —  Convalescent  Houses  at  Naval  Stations  —  Relief  for  Sur- 
vivors of  the  San  Diego  —  Admiral  Sims  Encomiums. 

THE  mass  of  the  American  people  are  wholly  unaware, 
I  am  sure,  of  the  close  cooperation  that  existed  all 
through  the  war  between  our  organization  and  the  Navy. 
Nor  is  it  at  all  surprising  when  one  considers  the  strictness 
of  the  departmental  censorship.  These  strange  fighting 
ships,  the  lean,  trim  cruisers,  the  lithe  sea  wasps  that  they 
call  destroyers,  the  undersea  boats,  all  are  members  of  our 
family  but  we  are  permitted  to  have  little  more  than  a 
speaking  acquaintance  with  them.  They  come ;  they  go. 
They  swing  in  the  river  at  evening  and  with  the  last 
somnolent  note  of  their  bugles  yet  echoing  across  the 
waters,  they  are  still  with  the  stillness  of  sleeping  villages. 
When  the  sun  comes  they  are  gone,  and  the  young  ebb  tide, 
which  tells  no  secrets,  silently  follows  on  their  track. 
Every  now  and  then,  it  is  true,  some  fortunate  in- 
dividuals catch  a  glimpse  of  these  great,  gray  ghosts  of  war 
moving  in  purposeful  majesty  down  the  harbor  outward 
bound,  and  fading  into  the  murk  and  mystery  of  the  sea. 
But  the  horizon's  rim  is  the  end  of  their  knowledge. 

52 


THE   NAVY  53 

Now  and  again,  however,  there  comes  the  inevitable  leak 
—  the  human  equation  is  always  to  be  reckoned  with  —  and 
word  finds  its  way  into  the  public  prints  of  some  brisk  bit 
of  business  that  the  Navy  has  been  doing.  But  that  is  all. 
The  highest  tribute  that  a  loyal  people  can  possibly  pay  to 
the  Navy  is  that  of  unquestioning  and  abiding  faith  which, 
certainly,  is  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen. 

Public  interest  and  popular  enthusiasm  turned  ever, 
perforce,  to  the  soldier  whom  we  had  always  with  us. 
Sturdy,  clean,  competent,  and  happy,  he  was  forever  tramping 
up  and  down  the  thoroughfares,  a  welcome  visitor  at  the 
Red  Cross  Canteens.  Yet,  during  these  anxious  years,  our 
ships  together  with  those  of  our  Allies  held  watch  over 
the  German  Navy,  netted  the  harbors,  mined  the  runways, 
keeping  up  night  and  day  a  sleepless  vigil  while  it  safely 
convoyed  2,000,000  soldiers  and  many  more  millions  of 
supplies  across  the  Atlantic. 

Almost  at  the  start  the  Red  Cross  had  one  of  its  oppor- 
timities  to  cooperate  with,  or  better,  to  help  the  Navy.  It 
was  at  a  time  when  newly  fledged  naval  recruits  were  being 
hurried  into  the  great  formation  and  four  hundred  of  them 
were  rushed  east  from  the  Great  Lakes  station  to  Washing- 
ton. They  were  forced  to  depart  so  hurriedly  that  their 
account  books  were  left  behind.  They  arrived  in  the 
capital  with  practically  no  money  and  there  was  no  prospect 
that  the  governmental  machine  could  provide  them  with 
funds.  A  request  was  made  to  the  Red  Cross  to  finance 
them  over  the  period  of  delay,  which  was  cheerfully  granted. 

But  to  go  back  a  Httle :  In  August,  1916,  Congress  had 
created  the  Naval  Reserve,  unlimited  as  to  number  for  the 
duration  of  war;  the  old  naval  militia  became  Class  Two 
of  the  Reserves.  By  this  measure  the  Navy,  later  on,  was 
able  to  reach  out  and  gather  in  men  who  had  seen  service,  as 
well  as  thousands  of  recruits.  The  regular  establishment 
increased  in  numbers  from  55,000  to  88,000  in  a  few  months 


54      THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

and,  ultimately,  reached  nearly  600,000  men.  The  Marines 
jumped  from  10,000  to  75,000. 

We  come  now  to  what  might  be  called  the  first  move  in 
the  naval  game  which  followed  our  entrance  into  the  conflict : 
the  spectacular  arrival  of  the  first  flotilla  of  our  destroyers 
in  British  waters  long  before  they  were  expected.  For  many 
uneventful  years  the  Navy  had  been  waiting  for  a  chance 
to  make  just  such  a  dash  as  that  and  the  order,  needless  to 
say,  was  carried  out  in  accordance  with  the  best  traditions 
of  the  service.  Within  six  weeks,  also,  after  war  was  de- 
clared, the  personnel  of  the  Navy  had  more  than  doubled. 
Not  only  was  the  Atlantic  Fleet  growing  in  an  amazing  rate, 
but  the  Navy  was  called  upon  to  furnish  guards  for  American 
merchantmen,  and  it  had  already  been  suggested  that  the 
training  of  the  new  merchant  crews,  soon  to  be  launched, 
should  be  under  naval  auspices. 

Meanwhile,  the  Medical  and  Surgical  Service  of  the  Navy 
had  been  organized  with  great  care  and  thoroughness.  In 
the  naval  training  schools  there  was  established  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  war,  as  part  of  the  general  preparation  for  a  great 
emergency,  an  elaborate  system  of  instruction  and  training 
for  pharmacists  and  hospital  corps  men.  The  training  of 
these  new  forces  was  intensive  and  involved  practice  as 
well  as  theory.  There  was  instruction  in  clerical  work, 
microscopy,  urinalysis,  pharmacy,  dentistry,  pathology, 
bacteriology,  chemical  nursing,  X-ray  examination  and 
development  of  plates,  the  making  of  splints  and  surgical 
dressings,  and  all  the  chemical  laboratory  and  field  work 
incident  to  the  care  of  the  sick  and  wounded.  The  Army, 
numerically  so  great,  stripped  the  field  of  medical  men  and 
hospital  attendants.  The  Navy,  especially  for  sea  service, 
—  where  women  cannot  or  do  not  go,  —  was  forced  to 
rely  upon  itself.  To  realize  the  urgency  of  this  need,  it  is 
necessary  to  consider  the  special  character  of  naval  service, 
its  environment,  and  its  difficulties. 


THE   NAVY  55 

The  Army  can  evacuate  its  wounded  from  one  hospital  to 
another  by  prompt  and,  in  the  case  of  hospital  trains,  highly 
equipped  conveyances.  Aboard  a  warship  it  is  different.  In 
an  engagement  between  modern  vessels  the  space  available 
for  the  wounded  is  limited,  and  the  intensity  of  battle 
permits  of  little  or  no  work  with  them  until  an  engagement 
is  over. 

The  most  that  can  be  done  for  a  wounded  man  is  to  apply 
the  dressing  that  every  one  carries  and  to  remove  him,  if  he 
cannot  remove  himself,  to  the  unexposed  side  of  the  ship  to 
await  attention  until  the  battle  is  over.  Then,  if  the  ship 
stays  above  water  and  there  are  surgeons  enough  left,  the 
wounded  may  be  transferred  to  an  ambulance  ship,  hospital 
ship,  or  other  transport,  if  there  be  one  nearer  than  the 
nearest  land. 

This  matter  of  hospital  ships  was  one  of  vital  moment  to 
naval  establishments  and  one  in  which  the  United  States 
Navy  had  long  labored  under  serious  embarrassment.  The 
lack  of  facilities  in  this  service  had  been  obvious  for  a  long 
time  prior  to  our  entrance  into  the  war,  and  by  persistent 
effort  Congress  had  been  prevailed  upon  to  make  appro- 
priations for  its  extension.  Two  passenger  vessels  —  sister 
ships  of  about  10,000  tons  — were  taken  over  by  the 
Government  and  adapted  to  hospital  uses.  They  were  com- 
missioned under  the  names  of  Comfort  and  Mercy.  Through 
the  Red  Cross,  the  Society  of  Colonial  Dames  provided 
money  to  equip  them,  which  was  done  in  the  most  thorough 
manner. 

In  addition  to  these  there  was  the  Solace,  a  small  ship, 
also  converted  and  which,  prior  to  the  war,  was  the  only 
vessel  maintained  for  this  purpose  by  the  Navy.  Mention, 
however,  should  be  made  of  the  yacht  Surf  whose  owner 
offered  through  the  Red  Cross  to  turn  her  over  as  an  am- 
bulance ship  to  attend  the  fleet  in  Atlantic  waters.  She  was 
altered  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  service,  equipped 


56     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

with  all  the  necessary  appliances  and  placed  in  commission 
on  May  27,  1917,  in  New  England  waters,  thus  releasing  the 
Solace  for  purely  hospital  service.  Later  she  was  trans- 
ferred to  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  in  August  to  the  New  York 
base.  When  the  Red  Cross  flags  and  markings  were  re- 
moved, and  she  was  turned  back  by  the  Government,  she 
had  transported  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  thousand  sick 
men  from  ships  of  war.  But  save  for  the  Surf  there  was  no 
distinctive  ambulance  ship  available  for  the  naval  service. 
In  this  connection  the  following  will  be  of  interest :  — 

"  A  hospital  ship,"  says  a  writer  on  naval  matters,  "  does  not  in  any 
sense  replace  a  base  hospital  in  a  coast  town.  The  hospital  ship  acts  as 
a  hospital  transport  to  which  ineffectives  are  transferred  to  fixed  base 
hospitals.  The  hospital  ship  is,  in  a  way,  a  fleet  base  hospital  moving 
from  place  to  place  as  the  fleet  position  changes  on  the  sea." 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  there  was  a  decided  lack  of 
coast  hospitals,  notwithstanding  that  the  Medical  Bureau 
of  the  Navy  had  long  tried  to  secure  them.  However, 
there  was  great  activity  in  expansion  of  hospital  facilities 
based  upon  the  nucleus  of  the  old  established  naval  hos- 
pitals, which  had  undergone  material  improvement  and 
enlargement.  Civilian  hospitals  in  larger  cities  were  speci- 
fied as  collateral  naval  institutions,  and  prominent  civilian 
physicians  were  enrolled  in  the  Navy  Aid. 

Apropos  of  this  last  statement,  I  have  the  assurance  of 
an  authority  that  within  a  year  after  the  United  States 
entered  the  war  nearly  five  hundred  medical  officers  were 
added  to  the  present  Medical  Corps  of  the  Navy,  and  a 
thousand  medical  officers  of  the  Naval  Reserve  Corps  were 
assigned  to  active  duty.  Every  sort  of  specialist  was  listed 
in  the  Navy  service. 

Nor  was  the  Red  Cross  at  all  backward  in  the  way  of 
assistance  :  it  supplied  the  personnel  for  five  base  hospitals. 
In  itself  this  may  not  seem,  perhaps,  to  be  of  much  im- 
portance, but  in  the  intense  work  which  characterized  the 


O  H 


THE   NAVY  57 

naval  medical  service,  it  was  distinctly  an  advantage  to 
secure  staffs  of  medical  men  and  nm'ses  who  had  worked 
together  in  civil  practice  and  were  familiar  with  each  other's 
methods.  Thus,  our  Red  Cross  system  of  recruiting  as 
many  as  possible  of  its  hospital  units  from  large  cities  was 
the  means  of  providing  the  peculiar  teamwork  that  is  so 
essential. 

On  August  22,  1917,  the  Red  Cross  had  provided  eight 
base  hospitals  and  thirty  station  units  of  the  Navy  with 
medical  officers  and  nurses.  Hospital  corps  men  and  expert 
workmen  in  various  lines  coincident  to  hospital  operation 
were  provided  by  the  Navy  from  its  trained  personnel. 
For  example,  in  addition  to  doctors  and  nurses,  each  unit 
included  diagnosticians.  X-ray  specialists,  pay-clerk,  com- 
missary steward,  yeomen,  carpenters,  electricians,  plumbers, 
mechanics,  cooks,  and  mess  attendants.  In  perfecting  the 
base  hospital  system,  the  Public  Health  Service  collaborated 
with  us  in  attending  to  sanitation. 

Moreover,  at  that  time  the  Red  Cross  stood  ready  to  equip 
more  base  hospital  units  for  the  Navy,  but  no  further  call 
was  made.  In  addition  to  permanent  equipment  it  pro- 
vided articles  of  invalid  diet,  which  were  a  boon  to  the 
sailor  in  convalescence. 

After  activity  started  in  foreign  waters,  Red  Cross 
efforts  bore  fruit  in  increased  efficiency  of  naval  shore 
hospitals  abroad.  There  were  two  base  hospitals  in  Brest, 
each  of  which  accommodated  500  patients ;  one  in  Queens- 
town,  which  held  300;  one  at  Lieth,  with  an  expanding 
capacity  of  800 ;  one  at  Strathpepper,  rated  at  500 ;  and 
a  small  hospital  of  50  beds  near  London,  which  was  purely 
a  Red  Cross  establishment. 

In  the  effort  to  organize  its  system  of  service  at  the 
beginning  of  hostilities,  in  order  to  supply  every  possible 
lack  of  sailor  and  soldier  and  to  render  instant  aid  in 
any  direction  to  all  branches  of  the  service,  the  Red  Cross 


58     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

began  in  September,  1917,  the  formation  of  Naval  Auxiliaries 
throughout  the  country.  This  was  done  in  compUance  with 
the  wishes  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  who  addressed  a 
letter  to  the  Chairman  of  the  War  Council  in  which  he 
successfully  endeavored  to  impress  upon  me  the  necessity 
of  centralizing  all  of  America's  war  relief  agencies  under  the 
Red  Cross.     It  read  :  — 

Dear  Mr.  Davison  : 

For  some  months  a  large  number  of  patriotic  women  of  the  country, 
animated  by  a  desire  to  add  to  the  comfort  of  the  fine  body  of  youths  who 
have  enlisted  in  the  Navy,  have  been  sending  useful  gifts  of  their  own 
make.  Some  of  these  good  women  have  done  this  work  through  the  Red 
Cross  and  others  through  different  organizations.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  it  would  be  wise  if  the  Red  Cross,  the  only  National  relief  organiza- 
tion ha\'ing  official  recognition,  be  asked  to  extend  its  large  sphere  of 
usefulness  by  taking  over  entirely  the  direction  of  tliis  laudable  work  of 
sending  tokens  of  good  will  from  willing  workers  to  the  men  in  the  Navy 
by  creating  a  Naval  Auxiliary  of  the  Red  Cross. 

I  am  sure  the  country  fully  approves  the  statement  of  the  President, 
that  "recent  experience  has  made  it  more  clear  than  ever  that  a  multi- 
plicity of  relief  agencies  tends  to  bring  about  confusion,  duplication,  delay, 
and  waste."  In  every  European  country  volunteer  aid  has  been  rendered 
"under  a  well-organized  central  body."  The  Red  Cross  is  the  body  to 
which  the  whole  country  looks.  To  its  appeals  the  people  are  ready  to 
respond  generously  because,  as  President  Wilson  recently  said:  "With 
its  catholicity  and  its  democracy  the  Red  Cross  is  broad  enough  to  em- 
brace all  efforts  for  the  reUef  of  our  soldiers  and  sailors,  the  care  of  their 
families,  and  for  the  assistance  of  any  other  non-combatants  who  may 
require  aid."  With  this  broad  foundation,  wath  a  record  of  efficiency,  I 
feel  sure  that  the  workers  of  the  country  who  are  particularly  interested 
in  the  men  who  wear  the  Naval  uniform  -wall  be  glad  if  the  Red  Cross  wHl 
increase  its  benefactions  by  this  natural  and  proper  addition  to  its  noble 
service. 

If  your  organization  can  do  this,  the  Navy  Department  and  the  Navy 
in  all  its  units  and  the  one  hundred  million  Americans  who  are  proud  of 
their  Navy  will  give  cordial  aid  and  hearty  cooperation. 

Trusting  that  this  suggestion  will  meet  your  favorable  consideration, 

I  am, 

Sincerely  yours, 

JosEPHus  Daniels. 


THE   NAVY  59 

And  again  at  a  meeting  on  November  26,  1917,  the  Secre- 
tary said :  — 

"The  women  are  in  the  War  because  war  cannot  be  conducted  without 
them.  Across  the  water  in  the  early  days  of  the  War  there  were  mobilized 
organizations  of  patriotic  women  and  patriotic  men.  They  organized 
in  the  cities  and  states  to  serve  and  help,  but  they  largely  failed  of  their 
purpose  because  of  their  division  of  interest.  They  lacked  a  uniform  and 
coordinating  head. 

"I  think  it  time  everybody  in  America  should  be  a  member  of  an 
organization  and  helping  the  Army  and  Navy. 

"In  getting  the  coordination  we  must  not  lose  the  spontaneity  and  the 
enthusiasm  and  the  zeal  of  individuals,  but  it  must  be  harnessed  to  or- 
ganization. 

"Since  the  Geneva  Convention  the  Red  Cross  has  been  the  chief  or- 
ganization to  which  people  looked  for  succor,  for  help,  and  for  wise  ad- 
ministration. It  has  demanded  the  best  thought  of  the  country.  They 
are  trying  to  coordinate  all  the  agencies  of  America,  and  we  are  here  this 
morning  to  work  with  them.  I  shall  assure  you  for  myself  and  for  the 
Navy,  we  will  cooperate  with  you  in  every  way  possible. 

"Some  time  ago,  a  very  patriotic  organization  announced  that  unless 
a  certain  number  of  sweaters  were  sent  witliin  a  certain  time,  the  Marines 
would  freeze.  Now  the  spirit  back  of  that  was  to  stimulate  good  feeling 
and  help,  but  it  did  more  harm  than  good,  because  the  men  in  charge  of 
that  service  had  not  neglected  their  duty.  The  impression  got  out  some- 
how or  another  that  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  the  Secretary  of  War,  and 
the  head  of  the  Marine  Ser\'ice  did  not  appreciate  the  splendid  service 
women  rendered.     Of  course  it  was  a  mistake. 

"You  know  that  this  Navy  is  made  up  of  boys.  The  average  age  is 
twenty-one,  perhaps  nineteen.  Sixteen  year  old  boys  rushed  into  the 
Navy  and  they  said  they  were  eighteen  in  order  to  get  in,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  that  if  they  made  a  false  statement  the  Recording  Angel  blotted  it 
out. 

"So  you  are  working  for  boys,  and  that  is  the  appeal  to  mothers  of 
this  country,  you  are  working  for  boys,  and  I  come  over  to  thank  you 
and  to  join  with  you  and  with  the  heads  of  the  Red  Cross,  who  are  charged 
with  a  great  work." 

As  the  ships,  large  and  small,  came  hurrying  to  the  Atlantic 
bases  and  the  work  of  final  preparation  went  forward,  many 
things  were  found  lacking,  among  which  was  a  supply  of 


60       THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS  IN  THE   GREAT   WAR 

surgical  dressings.  This  was  essentially  a  Red  Cross  emer- 
gency. Dressings  were  called  for  to  supply  133  destroyers 
and  small  vessels  and  56  battleships  and  cruisers.  The 
Navy  suppHed  the  gauze,  but  the  Red  Cross  had  the  willing 
workers  at  hand  for  immediate  action.  So  far  as  possible, 
the  Red  Cross  placed  the  order  for  these  dressings  in  the 
home  towns  of  the  ships,  but  as  haste  was  most  essential 
the  demand,  for  the  most  part,  was  distributed  among  the 
ten  nearest  large  Chapters  —  Chicago,  Cleveland,  Pitts- 
burgh, Washington,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  New  York, 
Boston,  and  the  Atlantic  and  New  England  Divisions. 
The  Chapters  turned  the  order  out,  packed  and  marked,  in 
record  time.  It  was  all  forwarded  to  the  Supply  Depart- 
ment at  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard  for  distribution  to  the 
ships  wherever  they  might  be. 

The  making  of  this  supply  of  dressings,  on  Navy  specifi- 
cations, lifted  a  load  from  the  Navy  shoulders  and  enabled 
their  surgical  staff  to  attend  to  other  pressing  business ; 
and,  in  addition  to  the  dressings,  a  large  number  of  knitted 
articles  were  supplied  to  these  same  destroyers  and  battle- 
ships by  the  Red  Cross  knitting  women,  who  had  now  begun 
to  work  for  the  Navy.  Sweaters  and  socks  and  helmets 
went  out  in  great  bundles  to  ships  and  training  stations. 

In  the  first  outburst  of  excitement,  however,  there  were  a 
number  of  people  who  thought  little  of  knitting  needles  as 
instruments  of  war,  but  who  now  sat  in  the  revealing  bright- 
ness of  a  great  light  as  the  letters  began  to  come  from  the 
North  Sea  in  Arctic  weather  telling  of  the  comfort  of  Red 
Cross  sweaters  and  snug  woolen  helmets.  Indeed,  many  a 
tar  blessed  the  Red  Cross  knitter  long  before  his  ship  poked 
her  nose  into  the  Atlantic  for  the  journey  overseas. 

One  bitter  night  in  the  early  winter,  a  battleship  came 
bowling  into  Norfolk  from  Guantanamo  Station  with  several 
hundred  very  blue  noses  aboard.  Out  of  the  dark  they 
picked  up  a  tug  light.     The  harbor  boat  swung  alongside 


THE   NAVY  61 

and  Red  Cross  men  from  the  Norfolk  Station  swarmed 
aboard  with  bundles  of  Chapter  knit  goods.  That  sturdy 
ship  crossed  the  Atlantic  many  times  afterwards,  taking 
the  Army  across.  To  its  Commander  the  Red  Cross 
sweater  was  the  best  thing  of  the  war. 

Parallel  in  every  respect  of  organization  and  work  with 
that  carried  on  in  the  Army  camps  and  cantonments,  the 
Red  Cross  maintained  a  thoroughly  organized  camp  service 
in  camps  and  training  stations  and  hospitals  in  fourteen 
naval  districts. 

At  Pelham  Bay,  Newport,  Portsmouth,  Quantico, 
(Marines)  Chelsea,  Great  Lakes,  and  Norfolk  it  estabUshed 
convalescent  houses  similar  to  those  at  Army  camps ;  and 
other  similar  work  at  Philadelphia,  Paris  Island,  (Marines) 
and  Balboa  Park,  near  San  Diego,  California,  was  just 
begun,  or  partially  completed,  when  hostihties  ceased. 

In  divers  ways,  some  large  and  important,  others  small 
but  still  important,  the  Red  Cross  was  able  to  assist  the 
Navy.  The  consensus  of  opinion  in  the  Navy,  however, 
is  that  the  best  thing  the  organization  did  for  the  sailor  was 
to  provide  these  recreation  places  where  the  convalescent 
men,  away  from  the  unhappy  monotony  of  hospital  sur- 
roundings and  the  propinquity  of  suffering,  could  for  a 
time  forget  their  own  woes  and  make  strides  toward  health 
and  a  return  to  their  homes  or  to  duty. 

To  facihtate  the  work  of  the  Navy  on  shore,  it  has  been 
the  privilege  of  the  Red  Cross  to  assist  by  provision  of  motor 
equipment  and  service.  A  very  considerable  number  of 
ambulances,  motor  trucks,  and  touring  cars  were  provided 
for  the  use  of  the  naval  establishment.  Where  civilian 
hospitals  are  utilized  for  the  accommodation  of  Navy 
patients  they  are  often  widely  scattered  and  the  naval 
doctor,  in  order  to  visit  them,  is  compelled  to  travel  long 
distances.  Congress  does  not  provide  quick  transportation 
for  these  emergencies,  but  this  was  provided  by  the  Red  Cross. 


62     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

A  very  good  example  of  Red  Cross  service  for  the  naval 
stations  is  found  in  the  New  York  or  Third  Naval  Dis- 
trict :  the  service  here  was  under  the  Atlantic  Division, 
with  headquarters  at  New  York  City.  There  were  eighteen 
stations  in  this  district  in  which  Red  Cross  work  for  the 
sailor  was  conducted.  In  and  out  of  New  York  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  sailors  passed ;  and  we  contributed  in 
every  way  possible  to  the  comfort  and  content  of  the  mul- 
titude. 

The  same  thing  is  true  in  other  great  naval  centers,  such 
as  Newport  News,  Boston,  Newport,  Philadelphia,  Norfolk, 
Charleston,  New  Orleans,  Galveston,  at  the  Great  Lakes 
Naval  Training  Station,  at  Chicago,  Seattle,  San  Francisco, 
and  San  Diego,  as  well  as  in  the  navy  yards  where  men 
were  at  work  on  the  ships  which  were  in  process  of  construc- 
tion or  tied  up  for  repairs. 

Among  the  incidents  connected  with  Red  Cross  coopera- 
tion with  the  Navy,  the  strangest,  perhaps,  was  the  action 
of  a  woman  who,  by  the  way,  for  a  year  and  a  half  after- 
wards was  the  busiest  person  about  the  Hoboken  Embarka- 
tion Station  (the  old  North  German  Lloyd  and  Hamburg- 
American  piers) .  I  am  positive  it  will  be  written  in  personal 
if  not  official  Navy  records  as  a  remarkable  instance  of 
intuition.  One  day  there  came  a  woman  all  the  way  from 
western  New  Jersey  to  the  Red  Cross  Station  who  said  that 
she  had  an  unexplainable  feeling  that  something  was  wrong. 
That  there  was  something  wrong  was  demonstrated  in  less 
than  a  half  hour  from  the  time  of  her  arrival  by  a  message 
from  the  Navy  Yard  which  said  that  the  survivors  of  the 
cruiser  San  Diego  were  coming  in.  There  was  fast  work 
in  Hoboken  getting  out  warm  clothing  from  the  Red  Cross 
stores  and  commandeering  of  trucks  and  tugs  for  its 
delivery.  The  boat  to  which  the  woman  was  assigned 
took  off  seventy-eight  men  from  the  incoming  collier.  When 
she  went  back  for  the  next  load  she  took  the  things  the 


THE    NAVY  63 

men  needed  for  their  immediate  comfort.  And  so  it  hap- 
pened that  half  the  next  day  men  were  running  around 
the  docks  in  Red  Cross  pajamas,  looking  for  all  the  world 
like  escaped  hospital  patients,  while  they  waited  for  the 
Government  to  find  them  uniforms.  That  woman  surely 
left  the  Red  Cross  engraved  on  the  memories  of  many 
sea-faring  men ! 

The  same  thing  happened  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
Out  of  the  busy  life  which  the  Navy  led  over  there,  there 
came  through  various  channels  thrilling  narratives  of  rescue. 
It  was  tolerably  well  known,  in  spite  of  naval  modesty  and 
secretiveness,  that  United  States  vessels,  both  small  and 
large,  gave  a  very  good  account  of  themselves  in  the  dis- 
position of  submarines.  On  one  occasion  an  American 
torpedo  boat,  having  rescued  crew  and  passengers  from  a 
steamer  which  had  been  sunk  in  the  English  Channel, 
brought  them  into  a  French  port  in  cold  weather  almost 
destitute  of  clothing.  It  would  have  been  a  very  serious 
matter  for  the  victims  of  this  outrage  to  have  waited  the 
action  of  the  United  States  Congress  for  an  appropriation 
for  clothing  and  its  delivery  to  France  on  contract.  Appli- 
cation was  made  to  the  Red  Cross,  which  furnished  outfits 
for  the  entire  company. 

In  sunnning  up  the  joint  work  of  the  Red  Cross  and  the 
Navy  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  our  organization 
wholeheartedly  indorses  the  sense  of  satisfaction  that  all 
our  people  have  for  the  accomplishments  of  the  Navy. 
Conversely,  the  Navy  has  ever  shown  itself  most  appre- 
ciative of  the  efforts  of  the  Red  Cross  to  do  their  part, 
and  nowhere  is  this  spirit  of  enthusiastic  fairness  more 
happily  reflected  than  in  the  words  of  the  Commander  of 
the  American  Naval  Forces  in  British  waters :  — 

"When  our  men  are  sick  or  wounded  we  need  quick  action,"  declared 
Admiral  Sims  in  an  address  in  London,  "and  it  must  be  free  and  un- 
hampered.    That  is  where  the  Red  Cross  comes  to  the  front.     Disasters 


64     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

like  the  Otranto  show  how  valuable  is  its  work."  And,  later,  in  replying 
to  a  question  that  can  easily  be  imagined,  he  said:  "all  government 
activity  is  governed  by  rules  with  a  view  to  what  is  likely  to  happen,  but 
all  needs  cannot  be  foreseen.  When  an  emergency  turns  up,  we  some- 
times have  not  the  facilities,  sometimes  not  the  legal  authority  to  do  all 
that  we  ought  to  do.  The  Red  Cross  man  can  make  a  law  as  quick  as 
you  can  write  a  check.  The  Red  Cross  is  ever  present  to  help  in  time  of 
trouble." 


CHAPTER  VI 

HOME    SERVICE 

An  Inspiration  —  Number  of  Families  Assisted  —  Home  Service  Worker, 
a  Silent  Agent  —  The  Picture  of  the  Woman  Left  Behind  —  The 
Range  of  Home  Service  —  The  Peculiar  Fitness  of  the  Red  Cross 
for  Home  Service  —  Representatives  in  All  Camps  and  Canton- 
ments —  The  Machinery  for  the  Work  —  United  States  Government 
Sanctions  Home  Service  in  Camps  and  Naval  Stations  —  How  Home 
Service  Is  Administered  —  The  Character  of  the  "Cases"  —  Cora- 
plications  after  the  Signing  of  the  Armistice  —  Home  Service  In- 
stitutes and  Training  Courses  —  Number  of  Trained  Workers  — 
Lasting  Force  for  the  Betterment  of  Social  Conditions. 

WHEN  a  man  goes  out  to  fight  his  country's  battles  he 
and  all  who  belong  to  him  are  of  paramount  moment 
to  the  Government.  The  day  has  gone  by  wherein  his  de- 
pendents are  abandoned  to  whatever  fortune  might  befall 
them.  Indeed,  few  things  connected  with  the  fighting 
man  are  more  impressive  than  the  increasing  solicitude 
extended  to  those  whose  welfare  is  imperiled  by  his  absence 
or  death. 

Almost  at  the  start  of  this  new  conception  of  duty,  —  an 
acknowledgment  at  last  of  the  importance  of  every  in- 
dividual, —  the  Red  Cross  recognized  that  here  indeed 
was  a  long  step  forward.  And  since  it  has  ever  been  its 
mission  to  consolidate  public  effort  on  behalf  of  the  soldiers 
and  sailors,  to  concentrate  the  prevalent  good-will  towards 
sufferers  in  other  countries  into  an  organized  system  of  re- 
Uef,  it,  therefore,  proceeded  to  formulate  a  plan  for  the  far 
more  deUcate  and  difficult  work  of  giving  to  the  famiUes 
F  65 


66     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

of  the  American  fighting  men  the  hand  and  help  that  they 
needed  when  the  need  was  most  pressing. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  this  was  an  undertaking 
that  required  the  exercise  of  tact  in  no  small  degree.  When 
the  call  came  for  hundreds  of  thousands  of  our  fighting  men, 
many  of  them  left  behind  them  the  tangled  affairs  of  life, 
some  of  which  it  was  well-nigh  impossible  to  straighten  out. 

To  enter  into  these  innumerable  homes  in  the  capacity 
of  guide,  counselor,  and  friend,  to  do  so  many  diverse  things 
for  so  many  widely  variant  people  was  in  the  nicety  of  its 
requirement  no  less  exacting  than  the  planning  of  a  military 
campaign,  and  amounted  to  far  more  than  the  simple  duty 
of  giving  people  a  hand  to  help  them  over  a  rough  spot. 

Home  Service  was  an  inspiration.  Organized  for  the 
purpose  just  mentioned,  there  was  a  human  note  as  well  as  an 
assurance  of  sincerity  in  it  which  were  keys  to  confidence. 
It  had  no  echo  of  condescension  or  patronage ;  on  the  con- 
trary, it  took  people  back  to  the  time  when  the  scattered 
and  imperiled  colonists  were  all  things  to  one  another; 
in  other  words,  it  brought  into  the  foreground  of  thought  the 
picture  of  friendliness,  of  neighborhness,  and  it  won  prompt 
and  grateful  recognition. 

As  the  work  developed  the  scope  of  its  possibiHties 
became  more  and  more  patent.  Home  Service  did  not  go 
about  its  business  preceded  by  a  brass  band,  so  to  speak ;  to 
have  done  so  would  have  ended  its  usefulness  automatically. 
It  had  its  very  root  in  the  sanctity  of  confidence,  and  the 
people  whom  it  was  privileged  to  serve  knew  that  if  it  gave 
assistance  it  would  also  keep  the  faith. 

Who  of  you  know  of  the  things  that  Home  Service  has 
done  in  your  community  —  perhaps  even  next  door  ?  Not 
many,  probably.  And  yet  within  a  little  more  than  a  year 
it  took  into  its  keeping  approximately  300,000  families. 
If  one  will  consider  the  number  of  perplexing  problems  the 
affairs  of  one  family  can  present,  it  is  not  difficult  to  imder- 


HOME   SERVICE  67 

stand  what  it  signified  in  service  rendered  to  straighten  out 
the  tangled  affairs  of  a  large  number  of  famihes  scattered 
all  over  the  United  States ;  nor  must  we  forget  that  it  is 
that  very  confidence  which  has  made  of  Home  Service  the 
big  brother  of  many  a  troubled  household,  the  lawyer  for 
counsel  in  times  of  stress,  the  banker  in  a  pinch  of  cir- 
cumstances, the  doctor  in  sickness,  the  nurse,  the  teacher,  the 
bearer  of  burdens,  and  the  friend  in  need  that  is  responsible 
for  its  being  relatively  unknown.  The  things  it  did  were 
not  on  the  surface. 

Every  one  knows  that  the  canteens  were  a  picturesque 
and  hvely  addition  to  any  railway  station.  That  there  was 
glory  in  hurhng  a  Red  Cross  motor-ambulance  through  the 
lanes  of  traffic  on  a  crowded  city  street,  and  that  Red  Cross 
service  in  France  had  a  glamour  and  a  thrill  all  its  own  are, 
also,  well-known  truths.  But  the  Home  Service  worker 
was  a  silent  agent  who,  in  a  way,  did  good  by  stealth ; 
so  that  if  by  any  chance  one  of  his  countless  deeds  did 
creep  into  print  it  was  by  the  very  nature  of  the  case  utterly 
depersonahzed.  As  for  the  glory  of  the  service,  it  was  ever 
unhonored  and  unsung. 

It  follows,  therefore,  that  the  narrative  of  what  Home 
Service  did  since  it  entered  upon  its  mission  consists  in  the 
main  of  a  bhnd  succession  of  ''cases."  They  are  told  in 
skeleton  with  a  studious  lack  of  detail.  But  it  is  certain 
that  in  these  reports,  flowing  from  every  corner  of  the 
country,  from  homes  and  camps,  from  the  embarkation  piers, 
and  from  the  turbulent  zones  of  soldier  fife  behind  the  lines, 
that  there  was  more  of  melodrama,  more  of  the  plain, 
plaintive  comedy  of  human  hfe  and  of  tragedy,  even,  than 
would  suffice  to  fill  the  endless  reels  of  half  the  world. 

No  one  who  has  traveled  country  roads,  either  by  foot  or 
by  motor,  could  have  missed  the  home  side  of  the  war. 
In  all  the  thinly  populated  places,  in  the  little  white  cottages 
of  the  New  England  hills,  in  the  farmhouses  of  the  Dakotas, 


68  THE  AMERICAN  RED  CROSS  IN  THE  GREAT  WAR 

far  scattered  over  their  rolling  expanses  of  wheat  fields, 
one  saw  the  war  symbolized  by  strangely  muted  homes. 
There  was  a  hush  over  things,  a  sense  of  finaUty  about  it  all. 
The  smoke  rose  only  from  a  necessary  chimney,  the  barn 
was  shut  up  tight,  even  the  "stock "  stood  around  in  a  solemn 
sort  of  expectancy.  Rural  industry,  simple  as  it  was,  had 
lost  in  such  places  its  emphasis.  The  fading  service  flag 
and  Mr.  Hoover's  mark  in  the  parlor  window  told  the  passing 
stranger  what  had  happened.  For  the  old  farm,  battUng 
against  pests  and  bad  seasons,  taxes,  and  the  hungry  and 
long-hved  mortgage,  was  not  like  a  mercantile  or  manufactur- 
ing business  in  which  diversified  labor  is  distributed  through 
many  channels  ;  and,  besides,  war  and  the  munition  factories 
had  stripped  the  farm.  More  than  hkely,  too,  the  next- 
door  neighbor  was  a  lone  woman  whose  mainstay  was  some- 
where between  the  farmstead  gates  and  Vladivostok. 
And,  to  make  matters  harder,  even  if  a  woman  could  manage 
a  farm  —  and  there  are  some  who  could  —  there  was  not  a 
farmhand  to  be  had  for  love  or  money. 

In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  farm  woman  took  over  as 
much  of  the  farm  work  as  she  could  handle  single  handed. 
Such  a  situation,  of  course,  was  a  trouble-breeder.  All  that 
anybody  on  earth  could  do  in  such  cases  was  to  be  a  good 
neighbor.  It  does  not  require  much  imagination,  therefore, 
to  surmise  what  the  war  did  to  country  homes,  how  still  the 
nights  were,  or  how  far  the  bare  fields  stretched  to  the 
horizon  ! 

The  monotony  in  the  cities  may  not  have  been  so  intense, 
but  in  cities  a  family  on  the  floor  above  might  as  well  be  in 
Manchuria  for  all  they  know  of  you  or  all  the  heed  they 
give  you.  It  is  an  old  saying  that  there  is  no  place  so 
lonely  as  the  city  street.  And  the  war  brought  pathetic 
changes  here.  Behind  the  same  old  service  flag  and  the 
food  pledge,  which  in  so  many  cases  was  a  superfluity  in  the 
face  of  soaring  prices,  the  same  old  misery  was  doing  its 


HOME   SERVICE  69 

work.  From  the  proud  habitation  uptown  to  the  crowded 
tenements  downtown,  where  Enghsh,  Greek,  Itahan,  Yiddish, 
and  even  German  made  the  fire  escape  a  babel  on  hot  sum- 
mer nights,  men  of  the  A.  E.  F.  had  gone  forth,  leaving 
behind  them  lonely  women  and  still  homes.     !;• 

As  will  be  easily  seen,  therefore,  all  the  variation  of  town 
and  country  hfe  came  within  the  range  of  Home  Service. 
In  planning  the  work  it  was  to  do  it  enUsted  a  wide  and  a 
detailed  knowledge  of  hfe  as  it  is  hved  everyi;vhere.  It  was 
essential  to  have  shrewd  consciousness  of  how  people's 
minds  work  as  well  as  an  almost  inspired  intuition  of  things 
that  were  apt  to  happen.  It  had  all  been  measured  in 
terms  of  morale  to  begin  with,  and  the  threads  of  this  mul- 
titudinous hfe  traced  on  a  chart  of  inference  and  theory, 
which  proved  phenomenally  accurate  from  first  to  last  in  the 
great  drama  of  war. 

It  has  been  said  of  certain  important  tasks  in  this  war 
that  there  was  no  agency  that  could  handle  them  except 
the  Red  Cross.  This  is,  of  course,  an  overstatement.  It 
is,  nevertheless,  doubtful  if  any  other  existing  instrument 
could  have  fulfilled  the  pecuhar  purpose  of  Home  Service, 
for  there  was  no  other  agency  which  had  ready  and  equipped 
an  organization  so  far-reaching,  so  instantly  and  so  in- 
cessantly active  and  available,  and  so  closely  in  touch  with 
the  homes  and  the  needs  they  were  apt  to  have.  Moreover, 
in  the  thousands  of  Chapters  dri\dng  away  night  and  day 
for  the  soldiers  and  sailors,  there  was  a  perfect  hne  of  com- 
munication to  every  home  which  had  sent  a  man  to  war. 

Ever  since  the  war  began  the  outstanding  thing  in  all 
Red  Cross  work  was  the  alacrity  with  which  its  wide-branch- 
ing plan  of  organization  enabled  it  to  meet  demands  on 
the  minute.  The  actual  accomplishment  was  noteworthy, 
but  the  sentimental  unity  of  the  machine  enabled  it  to 
perform  many  more  dehcate  functions  —  functions  which 
in  their  nature  required  a  high  pressure  of  personal  tact  and 


70     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

sane  judgment,  not  to  speak  of  the  necessity  of  a  business- 
like faculty  of  execution.  Foremost  among  these  was  Home 
Service.  The  framers  of  Red  Cross  plans  knew  the  American 
man.  They  knew  —  what  a  great  many  narrow-gauge 
people  had  never  suspected  —  that  he  was  domestic  to  a 
degree  never  imagined,  and  that  while  he  was  perfectly 
willing  to  throw  up  his  job  and  put  his  life  to  the  hazard, 
if  his  country  asked  it,  the  only  virtually  important  thing 
was  that  his  family  should  be  free  from  trouble. 

''  My  time  in  the  service/'  wrote  a  Texan,  early  in  the  war, 
''is  the  happiest  time  of  my  life.  It  is  great!  But  you 
pack  up  your  home  affairs  when  you  go  in,  and  you  can't 
help  wondering  all  the  time  about  the  folks  at  home." 

Home  Service  proved  the  most  effective  possible  agent  for 
establishing  in  numberless  homes  a  new  view  of  life  and  a 
new  schedule  of  values,  which  was  seed  for  future  growth 
and  betterment ;  it  created  new  ideals  where  they  would  do 
the  most  good ;  it  was,  without  doubt,  the  most  effectual 
kind  of  shock  absorber  for  the  Government,  and  by  its 
good  offices  a  silencer  of  the  note  of  resentment  and  dis- 
content which  echoed  far  in  war  time. 

There  are  women,  as  we  all  know,  who  are  natural-born 
dependents  and  whose  training  has  added  to  their  native 
tendency;  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  those  who  have 
inherent  resources  of  courage  and  self-help  and  will  fight  their 
way  through  any  obstacle.  So,  naturally,  it  was  the  former 
class  who  needed  the  ministrations,  for  the  most  part,  of 
Home  Service.  A  man  who  left  a  strictly  dependent  wife 
at  home  with  a  few  little  dependents  looking  to  her  as  acting 
manager  could  do  very  well  for  about  three  days.  Then  he 
began  to  realize,  as  he  never  did  before,  how  helpless  she 
was.  One  wailing  letter  has  made  all  the  wondrous  new  life 
of  the  training  camp  a  gray  and  dismal  thing.  The  mental 
picture  of  an  empty  pocket-book,  with  a  weasel-faced  land- 
lord in  the  background  insisting  that  ''leases  are  leases," 


HOME   SERVICE  71 

summoned  in  its  train  visions  of  misery  that  made  a  man 
deaf  to  the  brisk  accents  of  a  drill  sergeant  and  replaced 
martial  ardor  with  a  longing  to  be  back  home  for  just  half 
an  hour.  It  is  a  corollary  of  modern  war  that  you  can't 
manufacture  a  first-class  soldier  out  of  a  man  who  is  thinking 
all  the  time  that  his  personal  responsibilities  are  going  to  the 
dogs,  and  whose  barrack  pillow  is  hardened  by  nightmares 
of  trouble  in  the  home. 

I  have  been  told  that  there  were  practically  only  two 
kinds  of  desertion  from  the  American  Army  :  one  of  men  who 
deserted  in  France  from  their  regiments  in  the  rear  in  order 
to  join  regiments  at  the  front ;  the  other  of  men  who  deserted 
because  of  unhappy  letters  from  home.  When  we  went  into 
war  it  was  estabhshed  beyond  any  shadow  of  doubt  that 
there  must  be  intimate  and  direct  connection  between  the 
family  and  the  trenches,  that  the  home  fires  as  well  as  the 
flames  of  patriotism  were  essential  to  proper  military  temper- 
ature. 

There  had  to  be  a  way  to  send  soldiers  and  sailors  3000 
miles  or  more  across  the  sea  and  yet  assure  them  that 
their  families  alike  deservedand  would  enjoy  the  good  faith 
and  watchful  kindness  of  the  nation.  The  roots  of  the  thing 
struck  deep.  The  easiest  way  to  keep  the  service  man  from 
being  worried  by  unhappy  letters  was  to  make  the  letters 
happy.  The  only  way  to  accomplish  this  in  so  many  homes 
was  to  establish  a  neighborhood  feeling  that  would  embrace 
all.  And  the  chapter  organization,  —  a  growth  whose  roots 
ran  into  millions  of  homes  in  every  section  of  the  country, 
—  was  there  for  the  spreading  of  the  Home  Service  gospel 
and  the  doing  of  the  Home  Service  work. 

Three  months  after  the  declaration  of  war,  Home  Service 
had  already  begim  to  send  representatives  to  all  the  camps 
and  cantonments  in  order  that  Home  Service  workers  in 
the  Chapters  might  always  be  sure  of  a  good  attorney,  whose 
duty  it  was  to  locate  the  soldier  in  camp  when  his  family 


72    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

wanted  news  of  him,  and  vice  versa.  There  were  camps, 
notably  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York,  with  its  strangely 
diversified  population,  where  for  three  weeks  the  major  part 
of  the  Red  Cross  field  director's  time  was  taken  up  with  the 
home  problems  of  men  in  the  new  levies.  All  the  Red  Cross 
machinery,  all  its  resources  were  called  into  use  in  the 
prosecution  of  Home  Service  business :  it  enlisted  trained 
men  and  women  of  every  sort,  some  skilled  in  the  care  of 
the  sick,  others  whose  trade  was  to  unravel  legal  and  business 
tangles  and  who  knew  the  resources  of  a  community.  These 
could  minister  to  people  caught  in  war's  complications  far 
better  than  an  untrained  individual,  no  matter  how  well 
meaning,  could  ever  hope  to  do.  To  solve  properly  any 
problem,  even  the  failure  of  an  allotment  check  to  arrive, 
required  a  system,  with  agents  both  in  the  Chapters  at  home 
and  in  Washington;  it  required  some  means  of  access  to 
the  War  Department  where  the  mystery  of  soldiers'  money 
could  be  elucidated.  True,  the  troubles  of  some  lonely 
woman  could  be  settled,  but  it  required  machinery,  brains, 
telephone,  telegraph,  cable,  letters,  railway  journeys,  and 
professional  assistance,  all  working  together.  Home  Service 
could  set  a  thousand  forces  at  work,  thousands  of  miles 
apart,  to  find  the  right  answer  to  any  question. 

At  first  it  was  hard  to  make  this  purpose  clear.  The  Red 
Cross  pursued  no  one.  It  did  not  intrude  into  people's 
business.  This  would  have  been  the  first  step  to  failure. 
But  wherever  its  lantern  shone  on  the  darkness  of  a  camp 
street,  wherever  the  chapter  centered  its  war  activities,  the 
latchstring  was  always  out  for  the  man  and  his  kinsfolk 
to  enter. 

Now,  like  every  one  else,  the  American  soldier,  or  sailor, 
has  his  traits,  and  it  required  thorough  knowledge  of  his 
mental  processes  to  introduce  the  business  to  him  and  tell 
him  that  he  was  entitled  and  welcome  to  all  that  the  Red 
Cross  could  do  for  him.     So  in  the  training  camps,  in  the 


HOME   SERVICE  73 

railway  terminals,  and  in  every  place  where  sailors  and  sol- 
diers congregated  big  signs  were  displayed  at  points  where 
no  eye  could  miss  them.  Some  of  these  signs  asked  pointed 
questions  —  they  were  never  impertinent,  however  direct, 
for  a  question  is  pertinent  or  impertinent  according  to  what 
is  behind  it.     Here  are  some  examples  :  — 

''Have  your  allowance  and  allotment  failed  to  come 
through  satisfactorily  ? ' ' 

''Are  you  worried  about  the  home  folks?  If  so  tell  your 
troubles  to  the  Red  Cross  man." 

"We  keep  your  home  safe  while  you  fight  to  keep  the 
world  safe." 

All  this  was  reassuring  news  to  the  fighting  man  who  had 
just  learned  from  a  letter  that  everything  was  going  wrong. 

It  is  eloquent  of  the  sagacity  with  which  the  Army  was 
constructed  and  managed  that  these  placards,  in  curious 
contrast  with  the  purely  military  atmosphere  of  the  camp, 
where  every  conceivable  thing  has  been  bent  to  martial  pur- 
pose, were  placed  at  the  request  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment in  the  interest  of  military  efficiencies,  a  governmental 
recognition  of  the  fact  that  a  worried  fighter  is  a  poor  fighter. 
At  most  of  the  stations  the  men  in  trouble  —  and  there  were 
a  multitude  of  them  —  had  the  same  everlasting  problem  of 
the  bread-winner.  But  where  a  civilian,  if  he  had  any 
gumption,  could  get  out  and  administer  ''Civilian  Relief" 
to  himself,  the  service  man  was  tied  hand  and  foot.  He 
knew  that  if  his  checks  did  not  come  through  there  would  be 
no  groceries  in  the  house,  and  he  was  plainly  between  the 
devil  and  the  deep  sea. 

It  was  just  because  Home  Service  was  equipped  to  step 
in  and  save  this  situation  that  it  found  its  greatest  field  of 
endeavor  in  the  camps.  But  all  the  promotion  work  was 
not  done  by  the  signboards ;  there  were  other  ways  by 
which  the  Home  Service  representative  found  out  who 
needed  his  assistance.     He  got  it  from  the  chaplains,  from 


74    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

patriotic  and  relief  organizations,  from  camp  paymasters, 
and  in  other  ways  known  only  to  these  earnest  practitioners. 
What  Home  Service  did  when  the  much  needed  moneys 
lagged  was  to  file  the  claims  again  for  preferred  consideration 
at  the  Bureau  of  War  Risk  Insurance  or  the  War  and  Navy 
Department,  as  the  case  might  be.  It  got  into  immediate 
touch  with  the  Red  Cross  Chapter  in  the  man's  home  town, 
which  sent  some  one  around  to  see  the  family,  advance 
the  necessary  money,  adjust  their  legal  tangles,  get  the 
doctor,  get  the  nurse,  and  reconstruct  the  housekeeping 
schedules  so  as  to  lessen  the  anxiety  incidental  to  the  high 
cost  of  living.  When  the  mother  was  able  and  of  a  mind 
to  work  and  help  out  the  family  income,  the  Home  Service 
—  through  its  wide  connection  —  got  her  a  job.  If  she 
was  about  to  do  foolish  things  to  banish  loneliness,  well, 
there  were  cures  for  loneliness,  too.  These  are  things  that 
do  not  go  by  formula  and  never  can  be  standardized. 

It  may  be  said,  therefore,  that  Home  Service  was  pretty 
nearly  all  things  to  all  men  and  wo  len.  But  it  is  an 
interesting  human  fact  that  much  of  the  work  that  it  did 
for  service  men's  families  has  been  in  response  to  demand 
from  the  service  man  himself.  Many  of  the  applications 
were  made  by  men  in  camp  who,  in  desperation,  had  been 
driven  into  seeking  a  way  out  of  the  dreary  letters  and  who 
leaned  on  the  Red  Cross  as  it  was  meant  to  be  leaned  on. 
As  for  the  women,  some  of  them  —  perhaps  because  of 
their  pride  —  did  not  go  to  the  Red  Cross  to  tell  their 
trouble  but  wrote  instead  to  their  husband  or  son  about  it ; 
and  he,  not  knowing  how  simple  a  matter  this  was  for  the 
machine  to  handle,  immediately  hated  the  sight  of  a  rifle 
and  began  to  think  in  the  back  of  his  head  that  the  Kaiser 
might  just  as  well  have  the  earth  since  it  was  no  longer  fit 
to  live  in,  —  which  was  a  perilous  state  of  mind  for  a  man 
who  was  headed  for  France  with  the  country's  fate  in  his 
hands. 


^^^'i. 


')  i 


8\ 


HOME   SERVICE  75 

Confronted  with  a  situation  like  this,  Home  Service 
stepped  in  and  checked  it ;  and  when  it  had  once  taken  a 
family  mider  its  protective  and  advisory  wing,  it  "carried 
on"  with  them,  kept  tab  on  them,  and  mothered  them  prop- 
erly. After  that  the  letters  that  went  to  camp  or  overseas 
had  a  new  color  and  Uncle  Sam  had  a  new  soldier. 

If  Home  Service  in  Italy  was  reflected  in  the  victory  at 
the  Piave,  Home  Service  in  America  gave  an  account  of 
itself  at  Chateau-Thierry  and  along  the  stubbornly  contested 
reaches  of  the  Meuse. 

The  "cases"  which  constitute  the  Home  Service  record 
were  multi-colored.  In  the  main  they  pivoted  on  money,  and 
the  tough  olc  question  of  subsistence,  but  their  details  varied 
as  people  dj.  There  was  every  conceivable  sort  of  plot. 
It  was  to  the  credit  of  the  system  that  most  of  these  had  a 
happy  ending.  Where  it  was  merely  money  or  business 
complication  that  caused  the  trouble,  it  was  easy  of  adjust- 
ment. 

Still  further  complications  arose  after  the  signing  of  the 
armistice,  oecause  then  began  the  real  test  of  the  fighting 
man's  morale.  The  fighting  was  over  and  the  fighters 
wanted  to  return  home.  Their  families  were  insistent  that 
their  boj  should  be  returned  to  them.  Home  Service 
workers  now  had  the  additional  task  of  explaining  why 
their  boys  could  not  be  returned  immediately  and  of  dissuad- 
ing them  from  sending  their  boys  morale-destroying  letters, 
of  investigating  family  conditions  of  men  who  applied  for 
discharge  and,  at  the  same  time,  not  allow  their  sympathies 
to  warp  their  judgment.  Instead  of  decreasing,  the  work  of 
Home  Service  kept  increasing  for  many  months  after  Novem- 
ber, 19'  8.  Who  can  estimate,  therefore,  the  effect  of  Home 
Service,  before  and  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  on 
the  mental  attitude  of  the  millions  of  people  who  either 
fought  or  gave  fighters  in  the  Great  War  ? 

There  was  hardly  a  department  in  the  work  of  the  Red 


76     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Cross  in  which  Home  Service  aid  was  not  invoked  or  in 
which  the  home  principle  was  not  involved.  The  prompt 
acceptance  of  this  service  and  this  principle  by  the  people 
whom  it  was  meant  to  aid,  and  the  realization  of  its  meaning 
in  the  new  life  of  America,  demanded  an  extension  of  its 
scope,  which  meant  a  greatly  increased  number  of  workers. 
In  order  that  there  might  be  at  hand  a  force  to  meet  the 
growing  need,  the  Red  Cross  established  Home  Service 
institutes,  —  a  six  weeks'  training  course  planned  to  fit 
students  not  only  for  war  work  among  soldiers'  and  sailors' 
families,  but  to  serve  in  equally  specific  ways  returned 
fighters  themselves,  who  have  been  crippled  in  action  and 
for  whom  definite  programs  of  reeducation  and  industrial 
adjustment  will  be  necessary. 

The  syllabus  of  instruction  prepared  for  these  institutes, 
which  were  started  in  the  fall  of  1917,  was  wide  and  compre- 
hensive. It  included  not  only  the  fundamental  principles 
and  procedure  of  Home  Service,  —  health,  employment  of 
women  and  children  in  reeducation,  —  but  went  into  all 
these  departments  with  thoroughness  in  order  that  certifi- 
cates of  the  institute  should  imply  a  knowledge  of  the  ethics 
of  family  and  community  living.  Manuals  of  instruction 
were  carefully  prepared,  covering  the  whole  ground  of  Home 
Service  activity.     In  this  way  the  emergency  was  soon  met. 

In  the  end  it  took  30,000  mature  and  tactful  people  to 
carry  it  on  and  at  a  cost  approximately  of  three  million 
dollars.  But  it  did  more  than  help  win  the  war ;  it  raised 
the  standards  of  health,  efficiency,  and  happiness  in  the 
homes  that  had  sent  men  to  France,  so  that  the  man 
returning  should  find  small  reason  to  reproach  his  country 
for  the  way  his  family  had  been  treated  in  his  absence. 

At  the  time  that  this  is  written  we  are  about  to  enter  upon 
wider  fields  of  international  activity  and  these,  obviously, 
necessitate  new  development  in  industry  and  thrift.  But 
it  has  been  part  of  the  work  of  Home  Service  to  teach  these 


HOME   SERVICE  77 

lessons  with  everyday  application.  It  has  shown  in  a 
practical  fashion  the  effect  of  intensified  effort,  intelligent 
management,  the  worthlessness  of  outworn  formulas.  And 
precisely  as  the  Red  Cross  labor  in  France  was  directed  to 
the  conservation  of  child  life  as  insurance  for  the  imperiled 
future  of  the  republic,  so  in  America  we  have  made  an  effort 
to  improve  living  conditions  for  soldiers'  and  sailors'  families, 
always  aiming  at  a  steadily  progressive  and  wider  better- 
ment for  the  time  that  is  ahead. 

The  work  that  Home  Service  has  done  is  merely  a  sowing 
of  good  seed ;  future  generations  will  reap  the  harvest.  In 
spite  of  what  was  ostensibly  an  emergency  origin,  the  whole 
undertaking  was  constructive  in  its  inward  purpose 
for  the  long  future  of  our  national  life.  Throughout 
the  war  Home  Service  taught  English  to  women  of  foreign 
birth  who  had  husbands  in  the  war.  Every  instance 
of  this  kind  meant  one  more  family  on  the  road  to  Ameri- 
canization. Again,  a  multitude  of  soldiers'  and  sailors' 
wives  found  it  hard  to  resist  the  temptation  to  set  their 
children  at  wage  earning  in  order  to  increase  the  family  in- 
come. But  Home  Service,  mindful  of  the  future  and 
recognizing  in  this  recourse  a  net  loss  in  which  the  whole 
country  shares,  set  itself  persistently  against  it.  Not  only 
did  it  labor  by  every  possible  means  to  keep  the  children 
in  the  schools,  but  in  many  cases  it  contributed  money 
outright  to  tide  the  family  over.  In  others,  expert  assist- 
ance in  the  adjustment  of  household  expenditure  averted 
the  necessity  of  turning  soldiers'  children  into  the  factory. 

Lastly,  it  was  in  such  things  as  solving  imperative  prob- 
lems and  performing,  at  the  same  time,  an  educational 
office  which  looks  to  future  widening  of  horizons,  improve- 
ment of  living  conditions,  maintenance  of  higher  ambitions 
in  the  young,  that  Home  Service  assumed  its  highest  position 
and  that  through  it  the  Red  Cross  attained  to  a  greater 
plane  of  usefulness. 


CHAPTER  VII 

SOLDIERS    OF   THE    CROSS 

The  Nurse,  a  Crusader  —  The  Red  Cross  Stands  Sponsor  for  Her  — 
Enrollment  of  Nurses  —  Called  for  Disaster  —  Relief  Ship  Red 
Cross  —  In  Many  Lands  and  Climes  —  Typhus  in  Serbia  —  Mo- 
bilized for  Immediate  Action  in  April,  1917  —  Base  Hospital  Units  — 
Reserve  for  the  Army  and  Navy  Nurse  Corps  —  Unit  System  Later 
Abandoned  —  Changes  in  Character  of  Base  Hospitals  —  Emergency 
Detachments  for  Cantonments  and  Camps  —  Conditions  in  Camps 
and  Stations  —  Cooperation  with  Public  Health  Service  in  Sanitary 
Zones  —  Duties  of  Nurses  in  France  —  American  Nurses  for  Ameri- 
can Men  —  Nursing  Service  of  Red  Cross  in  France  —  Call  of  the 
Italian  Government  —  Honor  Roll  of  the  Red  Cross  —  Expenditure 
for  Equipment  and  Uniforms  —  Provisions  for  Comfort  of  Nurses  — 
Work  for  Health  of  the  World  a  Post-War  Duty. 

THE  Soldier  of  the  Cross  is  a  very  human  crusader. 
Where  civihzations  have  crashed  in  disaster  she  makes 
Uving  clean  and  possible ;  with  the  modern  magic  of  medi- 
cine, food,  and  cleanliness  she  banishes  hunger  and  dirt; 
with  infinite  patience  she  builds  up  the  lives  of  broken  men 
and,  seemingly,  at  times,  is  the  only  stronghold  of  sanity 
in  their  reeling  world. 

To  render  such  service  worthily  demands  more  than  pity 
and  a  white  cap !  It  requires  years  of  hard  mental  and 
physical  training  and  the  self-control  that  makes  good 
discipline  possible ;  for  she  must  stand  ready  to  tax  herself 
to  the  utmost  at  need  and,  at  the  same  time,  not  indulge 
herself  in  the  hysteria  of  overwork.  Moreover,  it  requires 
the  physical  strength  to  endure  long  journeys  and  hardship ; 
more  than  all  it  requires  high  endurance  of  the  soul  — 

78 


SOLDIERS   OF   THE   CROSS  79 

courage  to  bear  vicarious  suffering.  The  Red  Cross  nurse 
looks  on  mortal  agony  day  and  night,  yet  she  holds  fast 
to  sanity  and  cheerfulness  that  she  may  rekindle  spirits 
snuffed  out  by  too  much  horror.  She  denies  herself  the 
luxury  of  emotion  because  lives  depend  on  the  steadiness 
of  her  hand.  The  stuff  of  her  days  is  woven  of  the  two  great 
reahties  —  life  and  death ;  yet  those  she  tends  must  not 
suspect  that  she  is  a  woman  of  many  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  grief. 

Such  is  the  nurse.  For  her  the  Red  Cross  stands  sponsor. 
She  has  carried  its  symbol  into  the  plague  spots  of  every 
continent  where  disaster  has  left  its  mark  —  whether  in 
San  Francisco  or  in  the  far  islands  of  the  sea ;  she  has  carried 
it  to  within  a  few  short  miles  of  the  European  trenches. 
Everywhere,  the  Red  Cross  has  backed  her  up  with  money, 
with  equipment,  with  supplies,  with  uniforms  and  recreation 
rooms  and  words  of  cheer.  It  has  increased  her  value  by 
giving  her  her  tools  and  sending  her  where  she  is  most 
needed.  Around  the  work  it  has  opened  up  the  path  of 
mercy  for  her  to  tread.  That  is  the  great  mission  of  the 
Red  Cross — to  take  the  funded  money,  strength,  and  skill  of 
the  world  and  send  it  to  fight  against  disease  and  ignorance 
wherever  they  may  be  found.  That  is  the  democracy  of 
humanity. 

Five  years  before  the  European  war  brought  a  supreme 
duty  and  a  supreme  opportunity  to  nurses,  the  Red  Cross 
began  preparation  to  meet  the  unheralded  need.  In  the 
fall  of  1909  it  affihated  itself  with  the  American  Nurses' 
Association  and  began  to  enroll  nurses  as  a  reserve  for  the 
Army  and  Navy.  These  young  women  were  required  to  have 
had  at  least  two  years'  training  in  a  hospital  that  averaged 
fifty  patients  a  day  of  both  sexes,  to  be  registered  in  their 
states,  and  to  submit  satisfactory  evidences  of  fitness,  and 
to  be  between  the  ages  of  25  and  40.  Enrollments  increased 
year  by  year.     Although  no  war  clouds  gathered,  the  Red 


80     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE    GREAT   WAR 

Cross  called  again  and  again  on  its  nurses  to  save  the  victims 
of  fire  and  flood,  conspicuous  among  which  are  Dayton, 
Salem,  Luzon,  the  Titanic,  and  the  Eastland.  Each  name 
recalls  havoc  wrought  by  fire  or  flood,  by  earthquake  or  ship- 
wreck, and  it  recalls,  too,  the  heroic  work  of  Red  Cross  nurses. 


In  August,  1914,  when  the  World  War  broke  over  Europe, 
the  American  Red  Cross,  true  to  its  watchword,  offered  its 
trained  personnel  and  hospital  supplies  to  every  belligerent 
country;  acceptance  was  unanimous.  On  September  13, 
1914,  the  relief  ship  Red  Cross  carried  surgeons,  suppUes, 
and  120  nurses  for  England,  Russia,  France,  Germany, 
Austria,  Belgium,  Serbia,  and  Bulgaria.  Four  days  before, 
the  Serbian  unit  had  gone  on  a  slow  steamer,  crowded  with 
several  thousand  Serbian  reservists,  to  meet  what  proved 
to  be  the  most  heroic  task  of  all. 

It  was,  indeed,  in  many  strange  and  unique  shelters  that 
the  tiny  American  units  set  up  the  outposts  of  their  country's 
generosity :  for  instance,  there  was  an  estate  at  Paignton, 
the  Palais  d'Hiver  at  Pau,  a  Lyceum  at  Kief,  hastily  erected 
pavilions  on  the  sands  of  La  Panne,  a  modern  schoolhouse 
in  Vienna,  the  Victoria  Kabaret  theater  at  Gleichwitz,  a 
tobacco  factory  at  Ghevgheli,  a  tent  on  the  desert  sands  of 
Wadi-el-Arish ;  other  detachments  were  at  Yvetot,  France ; 
Nish,  Serbia;  Kosel,  Germany;  Budapest  and  Belgrade; 
and  Constantinople  and  Hafi,  Turkey.  Part  of  the  German 
unit  went  in  September,  1915,  to  work  among  the  German 
and  Austrian  prisoners  in  Russia. 

Wlien,  however,  in  the  spring  of  1915,  typhus  broke  out 
in  Serbia  and  men,  women,  and  children  died  like  flies,  two 
Red  Cross  surgeons  fell  victims  to  the  fever,  and  the  ranks 
of  the  fit  grew  daily  thinner.  The  Rockefeller  Foundation 
and  the  Red  Cross  cooperated  to  rush  volunteers  and  huge 
quantities  of  supplies  into  the  infected  country.     Serbia 


SOLDIERS   OF   THE   CROSS  81 

was,  literally,  drenched  in  disinfectants  and  smoked  in 
sulphur,  and  only  after  a  bitter  battle  was  the  scourge 
conquered. 

The  tale  of  suffering  that  the  pioneers  sent  back  to  America 
in  1914-1915  is  famiUar  now  to  our  ears,  but  in  those  early 
days  its  horror  was  unbeUevably  strange.  In  this,  their 
first  contact  with  modern  warfare,  American  nurses  won  a 
place  of  honor  on  the  medical  rolls  of  all  Europe.  Their 
experience  was  to  prove  valuable  in  later  days.  The  units 
were  recalled  in  October,  1915,  after  the  promised  year  of 
service,  but  many  members  remained  as  volunteers.  When 
America  went  into  the  war,  Red  Cross  nurses  were  still 
serving  in  all  of  the  Allied  countries. 

Thus,  the  stirring  and  troubled  days  of  April,  1917,  found 
the  Red  Cross  nurses  mobilized  for  immediate  action. 
Eight  thousand  and  fifteen  names  stood  on  the  Red  Cross 
rolls.  Of  these  the  Red  Cross  could  mobilize  2970  im- 
mediately, enough  to  care  for  an  army  of  a  million,  accord- 
ing to  the  calculations  of  that  early  day.  (The  first  military 
assignment  was  with  the  United  States  Marines  at  Vera 
Cruz  in  1914.  During  the  year  ending  in  July,  1917,  there 
had  been  assigned  to  the  Army  Nurse  Corps  817  Red 
Cross  nurses.  Of  these,  several  hundred  were  sent  to 
take  care  of  the  113,135  troops  guarding  the  Mexican 
border.) 

For  a  year  before  the  storm  broke  along  om*  shores  pre- 
paredness had  been  trumpeted  down  every  wind.  Active 
official  preparation  in  a  neutral  country,  however,  is  apt 
to  verge  on  mobilization  and  let  slip  the  dogs  of  war  too 
soon.  The  Surgeon  General,  therefore,  requested  the  Red 
Cross  to  organize  Base  Hospital  Units,  and  allowed  it  the 
privilege  of  building  up  a  hospital  system  that  was  to  be  the 
backbone  of  the  Medical  Corps  during  the  first  trying 
months  of  war. 

In  the  Base  Hospital  Units  the  doctors  and  nurses  of 


82     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

each  group  were  accustomed  to  work  together.  When  they 
moved  they  carried  with  them  the  personnel  (from  phar- 
macist to  sculhon)  and  the  equipment  (from  scalpel  to 
laundry  plant)  to  set  up  a  complete  five  hundred  bed  hospital 
wherever  needed.  The  value  of  this  close  formation  had 
been  tragically  proved  by  the  countries  already  in  the  war 
and  by  the  experience  of  the  Red  Cross  rehef  units  abroad. 
The  great  civil  hospitals  of  America  were  called  on  to 
organize  teams  from  their  staffs,  and  soon  a  score  of  units 
were  established.  Twenty-two  doctors,  two  dentists,  sixty- 
five  Red  Cross  nurses,  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  corps- 
men,  six  civilian  employees,  a  chaplain  —  the  complete  per- 
sonnel signed  the  muster  roll  of  each  and  pledged  to  report 
for  duty  whenever  called  within  two  years.  The  personnel 
of  each  Ust  called  for  careful  study  :  the  staff  of  the  parent 
hospital  must  not  be  unduly  weakened,  yet  every  man  and 
woman  must  be  of  the  best,  and  they  must  ''pull  together." 
Personal  knowledge  was  the  basis  of  choice.  Together  with 
the  Medical  Director  of  the  unit  and  the  Director  of  the 
Bureau  of  Red  Cross  Nursing  Service  a  Chief  Nurse  was 
selected  whose  duty  it  was,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the 
Director,  to  select  the  nurses,  the  dietitian,  and  the  nurses' 
aids.  Naturally,  she  chose  those  whose  value  she  had  proved, 
preferably  graduates  of  the  parent  school,  while  the  nurses' 
aids  were  prepared  under  her  direction.  It  was  the  only 
possible  method  where  compatibility  was  an  essential,  and 
it  resulted  in  a  team  that  ''played  up"  with  mutual  knowl- 
edge and  confidence. 

Beds,  bedding,  ward  furniture,  drugs,  surgical  instruments, 
laboratory  supplies  and  equipment,  mess-gear,  sterilizers, 
ambulances,  touring-cars,  motor-trucks,  a  motor-cycle, 
complete  X-ray  plant,  kitchen,  disinfectors,  surgical  dress- 
ings, and  hospital  garments,  some  refrigerating  and  laundry 
equipment,  telephone  system,  and  machine  shop  —  all  the 
supplies  that  would  not  deteriorate  in  storage  were  collected 


SOLDIERS   OF  THE   CROSS  83 

at  a  convenient  point.  It  was  at  first  estimated  that  the 
total  cost  of  equipping  a  Base  Hospital  Unit  would  be 
$25,000.  In  the  end  each  unit  averaged  $75,000.  The 
Red  Cross  has  spent  $1,500,000  first  and  last  on  its  fifty  Base 
Hospitals,  and  all  but  $54,000  was  contributed  locally  by 
patriotic  citizens. 

The  names  of  the  nurses  were  submitted  to  the  Bureau 
of  Nursing  Service  at  Red  Cross  Headquarters,  checked 
up  with  the  enrollment  files,  duly  carded,  and  held  for  final 
assignment  to  the  Army  Nurse  Corps ;  the  personnel  was 
inoculated  for  typhoid,  paratyphoid,  and  smallpox ;  corps- 
men  were  enhsted  in  the  United  States  Army  Medical  Corps 
Reserve ;  doctors  and  dentists  were  commissioned  as  Army 
officers ;  a  commanding  officer  from  the  Army  Medical 
Corps  and  a  member  of  the  Quartermaster  Reserve  Corps 
were  assigned  to  the  unit ;  the  two  carloads  or  more  of  equip- 
ment were  stored ;  the  completed  unit  was  turned  over  to 
the  United  States  Army  Medical  Corps  —  and  Ufe  went 
on  much  as  before.  The  personnel  scattered  to  their  daily 
jobs,  the  Director  put  the  key  to  the  warehouse  in  his 
pocket,  and  the  storage  bill  and  the  muster  roll  were  the  only 
outward  signs  of  the  powerful  machine  that  could  be  as- 
sembled on  such  short  notice. 

A  Base  Hospital  Unit  was  mobihzed  for  the  first  time  in 
October,  1916,  at  Philadelphia.  Base  Hospital  No.  4  (from 
Lakeside,  Cleveland)  came  together  on  record  time  and 
with  the  precision  of  clockwork.  The  tentage  covered  a 
space  1000  feet  long  and  500  feet  wide.  The  trial  mo- 
bihzation  cost  $5035.75,  and  proved  beyond  doubt  the 
practicability  of  the  ''canned"  hospital. 

When  America  recognized  the  existence  of  a  state  of 
war  with  Germany,  twenty-five  Base  Hospital  Units  were 
well  under  way.  The  first  call  for  specific  aid  came  to 
America  through  the  British  Commission  for  doctors  and 
nurses.     Six    of    the   waiting   Base    Hospital    Units    were 


84  THE  AMERICAN  RED  CROSS  IN  THE  GREAT  WAR 

assigned  to  duty  with  the  British  Expeditionary  Force. 
The  Surgeon  General  decided,  however,  not  to  use  the 
nurses'  aids  mobihzed  with  the  Base  Hospital  Units.  Num- 
ber 4  (Lakeside  Hospital)  was  the  first  to  leave  New  York 
in  May,  1917 ;  No.  5  followed  two  days  later ;  and  then 
Nos.  2,  12,  21,  and  10.  It  was  over  the  hospital  unit  in 
Rouen  that  the  Stars  and  Stripes  first  floated  as  the  flag 
of  an  ally  on  the  soil  of  France. 

In  this  first  summons,  war  sent  a  clarion  call  to  all  Red 
Cross  nurses.  The  members  of  the  six  units  were  scattered 
over  the  face  of  the  land  in  the  pursuit  of  their  personal 
destinies.  Hard  on  the  heels  of  our  entrance  into  the  war 
came  their  summons  to  report  in  New  York  for  overseas 
duty.  The  Base  Hospital  Unit  was  suddenly  a  living 
thing  instead  of  a  paper  chart.  Thousands  of  others  in 
clinic,  hospital,  and  home  watched  their  going,  knowing 
that  their  time  would  come ;  while  others  quietly  entered 
their  names  on  the  Red  Cross  rolls,  that  they  too  might 
have  a  share  in  the  great  work. 

In  the  first  seven  months  after  America  went  in,  seventeen 
Base  Hospital  Units  were  rushed  to  France,  and  the  others 
were  held  in  readiness  for  immediate  departure.  Meantime, 
a  serious  outbreak  of  contagious  disease  in  the  mushroom- 
grown  cantonments  and  camps  in  the  United  States  de- 
manded new  quotas  to  battle  within  our  very  gates.  Our 
first  winter  in  the  war  was  a  severe  one  and  thousands  of 
boys,  just  drafted  and  unhardened  to  the  rough  hfe,  suc- 
cumbed to  pneumonia  and  meningitis.  It  was  hard  to 
make  it  understood  why  the  waiting  units  could  not  be  used 
for  this  duty  but  must  be  kept  free  to  go  abroad.  The  Red 
Cross  worked  desperately  to  recruit  enough  emergency 
detachments  to  fill  the  terrible  needs  of  the  camps.  No 
attempt  was  made  at  unit  organization ;  the  nurses  were 
assigned  as  fast  as  they  could  be  recruited,  singly  or  in  little 
groups.     Later  the  nursing  personnel  of  the  Base  Hospital 


SOLDIERS   OF   THE   CROSS  85 

Units  was  sent  to  the  cantonments.  This  was  an  advan- 
tageous move,  as  it  gave  the  nurses  prehminary  training  in 
a  miUtary  hospital  and  also  gave  the  hospitals  an  adequate 
nursing  staff.  Throughout  that  winter  and  spring  they 
worked  gallantly  in  the  face  of  appalhng,  though  unavoid- 
able physical  hardships,  while  not  a  few  gave  their  lives  on 
one  of  the  first  American  battlefields  of  the  war. 

The  Red  Cross  turned  with  a  will  to  meet  its  responsi- 
bilities as  "the  chief  reserve  for  the  Army  and  Navy  Nurse 
Corps."  During  the  summer  months  enrollment  was 
speeded  up  to  the  hmit.  On  October  1,  1918,  over  30,000 
names  stood  on  the  card  index  at  Headquarters.  Of  these, 
14,368  had  been  assigned  to  the  Army  and  903  to  the  Navy, 
while  2454  were  awaiting  orders.  The  greater  number  of 
the  nurses  were  assigned  as  part  of  complete  organizations. 
Fifty-one  complete  Base  Hospital  Units  were  turned  over  to 
the  Army  with  a  personnel  of  3734  nurses.  The  Navy- 
mustered  in  five  Base  Hospital  Units  of  250  beds  apiece. 
Nineteen  Hospital  Units,  each  manned  by  21  Red  Cross 
nurses,  were  organized  at  a  cost  of  from  S3000  to  $7000 
apiece.  Various  groups  of  specialists  in  mental  and  nervous 
diseases,  in  fracture  cases,  and  orthopedics,  were  gathered 
together  at  the  request  of  the  Surgeon  General. 

The  unit  system  of  organization  was  under  the  circum- 
stances a  splendid  plan.  It  gave  the  Army  Medical  Corps 
a  running  start  in  the  war,  which  its  official  limitations 
prevented  its  making  for  itself.  In  the  stress  of  later  events 
this  system  was  abandoned.  The  great  civil  institutions 
from  which  Base  Hospital  Units  could  be  organized  had 
for  the  time  being  given  all  the  personnel  they  could  spare 
without  dangerously  weakening  home  defense.  Moreover, 
the  War  Department  was  now  in  a  position  to  organize  units 
for  foreign  service  from  nurses  already  serving  in  camp 
hospitals,  who  had  learned  to  pull  together  under  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  military  life.     So  the  Red  Cross  bent  all 


86     THE   AMERICAN    RED    CROSS    IN    THE    GREAT   WAR 

its  efforts  to  the  task  of  recruiting  nurses,  equipping  them  for 
active  service,  and  turning  them  over  to  the  Surgeon  General, 
singly  or  in  little  groups. 

These  nurses,  sent  fully  equipped  by  the  Red  Cross  into 
the  military  establishment,  have  passed  through  the  Red 
Cross  clearing-house  in  a  continual  quiet  stream.  After 
the  war  began,  65  or  more  were  assigned  to  duty  with  the 
Army  or  Navy  every  day.  In  August  and  September,  1918, 
this  reached  its  highest  daily  average  of  100  assignments. 
Most  of  them  reported  in  New  York,  where  there  were 
several  Army  mobilization  centers.  They  received  their 
uniforms,  their  blankets,  and  the  "extras"  that  oiled  the 
machiner}^  of  living  in  strange  places,  from  the  Red  Cross 
Equipment  Station.  They  met  co-workers  and  leaders  of 
their  profession  while  waiting  at  the  center  for  weeks,  often- 
times, for  a  ship  to  take  them  ''across"  ;  but  sooner  or  later 
they  left  for  their  posts  —  perhaps  to  Europe,  to  Siberia,  or 
even  to  Porto  Rico.  The  ''military"  took  them;  even 
the  beloved  Red  Cross  insignia  they  resigned  in  the  interest 
of  discipline,  and  thereafter  their  story  became  one  with 
the  Army  or  Navy  Corps  of  which  they  became  a  part. 

But,  although  they  laid  away  her  symbol  until  the  war  was 
over,  the  Red  Cross  did  not  forget  its  nurses.  By  September 
30,  1918,  in  forty-five  camps  and  cantonments  she  had  ex- 
pended $1,586,563.75  for  uniforms  and  equipment  for  nurses, 
for  recreation  houses  and  their  furnishings  of  bright  hangings, 
easy  chairs,  long  reading  tables,  and  electric  irons,  all  spell- 
ing home  and  a  release  from  narrow  barrack  quarters.  In 
France  the  Red  Cross  meant  something  beside  the  label  on 
a  package  of  surgical  dressings  or  the  protective  insignia  of 
the  long  lines  of  incoming  ambulances ;  it  meant  friendly 
club-houses,  convalescent  and  rest  homes,  and  a  special 
hospital  if  they  fell  ill.  Always  and  everywhere  it  meant 
a  strong  friend  to  whom  the  welfare  and  honor  of  the  nurse 
was  near  at  heart. 


THE  GREATEST  RED  CROSS  PARADE  EVER  HELD  IN  AMERICA. 

15,000  women,  many  of  whom  at  that  time  either  had  served  on  the  battlefields 
of  Europe  or  were  waiting  orders  for  overseas  service,  marched  down  Fifth  Ave- 
nue through  lines  of  cheering  spectators. 


SOLDIERS   OF   THE   CROSS  87 

The  military  map  of  the  United  States  indicates  the 
location  of  the  camps,  cantonments,  aero  and  naval  training 
stations,  and  marines'  barracks.  Here  the  nurses  did  no 
less  valiant  work  than  overseas.  They  took  up  arms  against 
the  epidemics  of  our  first  war  winter.  During  the  autumn 
months  of  1918,  while  the  Allied  forces  swept  victoriously 
across  Belgium,  they  fought  stubbornly  against  the  ravages 
of  Spanish  influenza  —  the  dread  disease  that  swept  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 

Conditions  in  America  were  sometimes  as  rough  as  those 
in  France,  as  the  following  letter  from  an  Army  nurse  in  one 
of  the  camps  will  show :  — 

"To  begin  wath,  when  we  seven  arrived  here  we  found  ourselves  the 
first  group  of  nurses  that  ever  crossed  these  grounds.  It  seems  we  were 
not  expected  so  soon  and  nothing  was  ready  for  us.  The  place  which 
was  to  be  our  home  was  an  empty  barrack  •ndth  nothing  but  a  coal  stove 
in  every  room.  But  let  me  tell  you  that  no  department  store  in  dear 
old  New  York  ever  delivered  things  more  rapidly  than  they  were  brought 
in  here.  It  seemed  to  us  that  our  arrival  set  the  camp  a-stirring  and 
everybody  seemed  to  be  busy  in  our  behalf.  Within  a  few  hours  we  had 
our  beds  complete,  the  most  welcome  thing  to  us  just  then,  we  were  all 
so  tired.  Meanwhile  we  were  showai  through  the  hospital,  and  then 
through  the  camp  proper,  and  we  were  just  amazed  at  the  enormity  of 
it  all.  The  camp  grounds  occupy  some  17,000  acres  and  the  Base  Hos- 
pital takes  up  about  62  acres  and  so  far  has  32  wards  and  more  in  process 
of  construction.  A  few  months  ago  tliis  region  was  a  stretch  of  wilder- 
ness and  the  first  di^'ision  of  men  worked  this  place  through  to  what  it  is 
at  present." 

Another,  a  Navy  nurse  this  time,  wrote :  — 

"After  the  preliminary  business  of  arrival  I  was  taken  over  to  a  barrack- 
Uke  builduig  and  found  a  bed  allotted  to  me  in  a  dormitory  with  about  50 
other  nurses.  I  must  admit  that  tliis  for  the  first  impression  was  rather 
daunting.  The  place  was  littered  from  end  to  end  with  clothes,  trunks, 
and  grips,  to  say  nothing  of  the  beds  themselves ;  some  occupied  by  night- 
nurses  trying  to  sleep,  some  by  day-nurses  reading,  writing,  sewing,  or 
resting.  I  could  see  no  possibility  of  the  faintest  trace  of  privacy,  neither 
was  there  any,  and  later  I  learned  that  there  was  no  water  for  any  purpose 


88     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

nearer  than  the  main  building.  We  had  rough  wooden  shelves  to  put  our 
things  on  and  a  few  nails  to  hang  our  clothes.  To  get  a  bath  we  had  to 
walk  outside  of  the  main  building  two  blocks  away.  When  it  stormed 
the  rain  came  in  upon  us  from  the  roof,  and  when  it  blew  the  sand  came 
in  and  almost  buried  us,  and  the  flies  were  a  veritable  plague  —  but  all 
this,  I  am  glad  to  say,  was  only  a  temporary  discomfort,  for  now  we  have 
a  very  nice  quarters,  brand  new  and  clean.  I  often  look  back  and  laugh 
and  think  of  my  chagrin,  and  realize  that  it  wasn't  so  bad  as  it  seemed 
after  all,  and  that  it  was  a  good  experience  for  me,  for  now  I  appreciate 
the  good  things  as  they  come  along." 

The  work  of  safeguarding  our  men  in  training  could  not 
all  be  done  within  camp  bounds.  It  might  begin  in  every 
city  within  range  of  a  soldier's  leave.  To  this  end,  the  Red 
Cross  joined  hands  with  the  Federal  Public  Health  Service, 
which  held  watch  and  ward  over  sanitary  zones  and  marine 
hospitals.  Red  Cross  nurses  helped  in  the  everyday  work 
of  keeping  the  extra  cantonment  zones  cleaned  up  and 
healthy ;  their  prompt  aid  stamped  out  incipient  epidemics 
of  many  contagious  diseases.  In  Muscle  Shoals,  Louisiana, 
they  were  called  in  to  inoculate  interminable  lines  of  munition 
workers  for  typhoid  fever.  At  Newport  News,  Fort  Riley, 
Hattiesburg,  and  Camp  Beauregard  they  isolated  threaten- 
ing cases  of  meningitis.  At  Nitro,  West  Virginia  —  a 
munition  town  stretching  twelve  miles  along  the  Ohio 
River  —  the  96  nurses  at  the  Base  Hospital  insured  an 
open  line  of  communication  between  the  powder  plants 
and  the  big  guns  on  the  Western  Front, 

"We  have  had  great  changes  at  the  hospital,"  wrote  a  nurse  from 
France;  "all  the  regular  Army  nurses  were  transferred,  also  our  com- 
manding officer,  and  instead  of  having  500  beds  we  have  2000.  Doctors, 
nurses,  and  corpsmen  were  all  put  out  of  their  quarters  and  these  were 
made  into  wards  at  the  beginning  of  the  big  rush.  We  received  the 
wounded  from  the  battlefields  about  twelve  hours  after  they  were  hurt, 
all  in  need  of  operation.  This  kept  up  for  days ;  it  just  made  my  heart 
ache  to  see  them  coming  in  in  such  terrible  condition,  —  officers  as  well 
as  privates,  —  lay  on  the  floor  or  on  stretchers  in  the  corridors  for  hours 
awaiting  their  turn  to  be  operated  on.    They  were  so  tired,  hungry. 


SOLDIERS   OF   THE    CROSS  89 

sleepy,  or  suffering,  that  they  didn't  care  what  happened  to  them.  The 
first  week  of  the  big  rush  we  worked  eighteen  or  twenty  hours  a  day.  I 
would  be  in  bed  about  three  hours  before  I  would  be  called  again.  I 
never  felt  tired,  nor  did  I  want  to  go  to  bed,  for  when  I  did  go  I  could 
not  sleep,  the  excitement  was  much  too  great. 

"It  was  wonderful  how  the  nurses  kept  up.  Each  one  was  on  duty 
from  eight  in  the  morning  until  ten  o'clock  at  night,  taking  only  five  or 
ten  minutes  for  her  meals.  We  had  at  that  time  only  about  eighty 
nurses,  twenty  were  in  the  operating  rooms,  we  were  running  ten  tables 
both  day  and  night,  and  stopped  only  on  the  top  floor  during  an  air  raid. 
We  had  an  air  raid  every  night  while  we  were  so  busy  and  two  nights 
they  were  right  over  oiu-  heads ;  the  shrapnel  fell  all  around  us,  and  hit 
on  the  tin  roofs  like  big  hail.  The  boys  rushed  out  and  picked  up  big 
pieces  of  it." 

''American  nurses  for  American  men,"  was  a  famous 
recruiting  slogan  for  the  Red  Cross,  but  only  those  can 
appreciate  its  poignancy  who  have  seen  the  eager  welcome 
that  leapt  to  meet  the  nurse  who  "talked  American." 

Especially  was  this  true  of  the  nurses  sent  by  the  Red 
Cross  Commission  to  take  care  of  American  wounded  in 
French  Army  hospitals.  Despite  the  close  bonds  of  friend- 
ship between  France  and  America,  these  little  groups  could 
not  help  feeling  lost  —  strangers  in  a  strange  land.  They 
were  suffering  and  immeasurably  weary,  and  they  ''didn't 
get  the  Ungo."  No  wonder  they  were  pathetically  grate- 
ful for  the  xlmerican  nurse ;  no  wonder  the  nurse's  aid 
who  went  along  to  speak  French  for  her  was  kept  on  the 
jump  by  day  and  by  night.  It  is  said  of  one  American 
boy,  and  there  were  many  such  cases,  who  had  undergone 
an  operation  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  French  hospital, 
that,  on  hearing  an  American  nurse  speaking  to  him  when 
coming  out  of  ether,  he  became  almost  hysterical  with  the 
rehef  and  excitement  that  followed  his  surprise  at  not  find- 
ing himself  among  Germans. 

These  nurses  were  among  the  604  that  served  directly 
under  the  Red  Cross.  Of  these  some  250  formed  the  nursing 
service  of  the  Red  Cross  in  France.     They  manned  the 


90     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

great  hospitals  run  by  the  Red  Cross  for  the  French  and 
American  soldiers  and  Red  Cross  personnel ;  they  stood 
ready  to  go  on  call  to  the  French  or  American  Army 
Hospitals  near  the  front  or  to  the  convalescent  hospitals 
in  the  interior ;  they  were  the  sword  arm  of  the  Red  Cross 
in  its  fight  against  tuberculosis  and  of  its  work  for  children 
and  refugees. 

Work  with  the  Red  Cross  was  essentially  emergency  work. 
A  Chief  Nurse  writing  casually  of  the  Children's  Biu-eau 
states  that  ''The  hospitals  have  a  way  of  doubling  over- 
night." A  shift  in  the  offensive,  a  sudden  flood  of  repatriSs 
into  Evian,  evacuation  of  a  strip  of  bombarded  territory, 
and  the  hospitals  were  swamped  and  personnel  comman- 
deered wherever  they  could  be  found.  Red  tape  tripped 
no  one  on  field  service  for  the  Red  Cross. 

Later  in  May  when  the  stream  of  wounded  ebbed  slowly 
back  into  France,  the  Red  Cross  Department  of  Civil 
Affairs  turned  sixty  of  its  nurses  over  to  the  nursing  service. 
They  were  all  experts  in  baby  welfare,  tubercular,  or  other 
social  welfare  work.  One  afternoon  found  them  peacefully 
at  their  work  in  the  interior,  washing  babies,  dieting  old  men, 
lending  a  kindly  ear  to  neighborhood  gossip ;  the  next 
night  they  were  miles  away,  gone  by  motor  truck  to  the 
rescue  of  six  American  nurses,  a  few  doctors,  and  twenty 
wounded  at  Beauvais,  and  were  assisting  major  operations 
with  the  aid  of  flashlights  in  pitch-black  wards  during  an 
air  raid. 

France  was  the  battleground  of  nations.  In  France  beat 
the  heart  of  the  Red  Cross  work  in  Europe,  but  to  each  of 
the  principal  Allied  countries  there  went  Red  Cross  Com- 
missions, the  flying  squadrons  of  mercy.  Milan  was  the 
clearing-house  for  the  nursing  service  in  Italy.  Here,  new 
recruits  from  America  learned  Italian  ways  before  they 
scattered  to  centers  of  relief  or  instruction ;  in  England, 
Russia,  Greece,  Palestine,  Rumania,  Serbia,  and   Siberia, 


SOLDIERS    OF   THE    CROSS  91 

the  soldiers  of  the  cross  to-day  are  laying  foundations  of 
knowledge  and  affection  for  greater  work  to  come. 

Many  French  surgeons  who  have  witnessed  the  work  of 
American  nurses  say  that  they  stand  preeminently  high  in 
the  practice  of  their  profession.  Their  work  during  the  war 
will  be  supplemented  by  equally  valuable  reconstruction 
service.  Already  foreign  countries  are  beginning  to  look 
toward  the  American  training  schools  for  nurses  for  guidance 
in  developing  schools  of  nursing.  The  Italian  Government 
has  recently  asked  the  advice  of  the  Red  Cross  Commission 
in  the  organization  of  a  national  association  of  nurses.  The 
little  groups  of  American  nurses  in  French  military  hospitals 
consider  the  eagerness  of  the  French  women  to  learn  their 
methods  a  high  and  touching  tribute,  while  the  elementary 
courses  given  in  baby  saving  at  Paris,  Marseilles,  Lyons, 
and  Bordeaux,  where  French  women  received  theoretical 
instruction  from  American  public  health  nurses  and  had 
practical  work  in  the  civilian  hospitals,  have  served  to 
interest  French  women  in  developing  better  public  health 
standards  of  their  own. 

The  immediate  desperate  needs  of  war  have  appalled  the 
world.  The  nurse  must  still  hold  her  battle  line  long  after 
the  guns  are  stilled.  To-day  she  must  help  defend  the 
health  of  the  world.  The  fight  has  already  been  begun 
by  the  growing  ranks  of  public  health  nurses  now  keeping 
watch  and  ward  over  congested  city  districts,  industrial 
conamunities,  and  scattered  mountain  farms.  A  great 
field  of  health  education  also  awaits  her,  so  that  every  wife 
and  mother  may  know  the  elementary  principles  of  keeping 
her  family  well  by  the  knowledge  of  proper  food  and  san- 
itation, and  of  nursing  them  through  minor  illnesses  by  her 
familiarity  with  simple  nursing  procedures.  The  Red  Cross 
looks  even  beyond  this  long  reconstruction.  War  has 
taught  the  world  the  tremendous  possibilities  of  applied 
humanity,  and  the  spirit  of  the  crusaders  is  still  abroad. 


92    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

On  the  honor  rolls  of  the  Red  Cross  stand  the  names  of 
197  nurses  who,  since  1917,  have  given  up  their  lives.  From 
overseas  come  reports  of  American  nurses  decorated  for 
valor :  several  received  special  military  mention,  while 
others  received  Royal  orders  or  the  croix  de  guerre ;  here,  in 
this  country,  a  number  were  awarded  the  Distinguished 
Service  Cross.  Those  nurses,  however,  who  now  rest 
quietly  in  France  and  England,  have  received  the  highest 
honors  which  war  can  give  to  the  soldier. 

Among  the  ranks  of  these  heroic  dead  looms  the  figure 
of  one  nurse  to  whose  vision  and  tireless  work  the  Red  Cross 
Nursing  Service  owes  its  development.  Born  in  a  Uttle 
town  in  New  York,  educated  at  the  Bellevue  Hospital 
Training  School  for  Nurses,  —  from  which  so  many  famous 
pioneer  American  nurses  have  been  graduated,  —  and  serv- 
ing a  long  apprenticeship  in  the  practice  of  her  profession 
in  its  various  branches,  she  came  to  Washington  in  1909, 
as  the  Second  Superintendent  of  the  Army  Nurse  Corps.  In 
1912,  she  resigned  this  appointment  to  devote  all  her  time 
to  the  development  of  the  Red  Cross  Nursing  Service. 
Slowly  she  built  up  this  reserve  corps  until  it  was  recognized 
as  the  foremost  medium  through  which  the  nurses  of  America 
might  respond  to  patriotic  and  humanitarian  service  in  time 
of  national  crises.  She  saw  this  organization,  to  which  she 
had  given  the  best  years  of  her  life,  meet  the  gigantic  burdens 
of  war;  she  saw  the  nurses  holding  up  the  hands  of  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  Army;  she  saw  them  turning 
with  equal  success  to  the  tremendous  problems  of  peace ; 
and  then,  when  at  the  height  of  her  power  and  achievement, 
death  calmly,  almost  unexpectedly,  claimed  her  for  its  own. 
Among  the  American  dead  in  the  little  Army  cemetery  on 
the  hill  above  the  great  American  Base  lies  Jane  A.  Delano, 
First  Chairman  of  the  National  Committee  and  Director  of 
the  Department  of  Nursing  of  the  American  Red  Cross. 

"After  Life's  fitful  fever,  she  sleeps  well." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

MOBILIZING   THE    CHILDREN 

Creation  of  Junior  Red  Cross  —  Reasons  for  Organizing  the  Children  — 
The  Plan  Evolved  —  Means  of  Replenishing  the  School  Fund  — 
Financial  Activities  Had  an  Educational  Value  —  Raising  Money- 
Only  the  Beginning  —  Cooperation  with  the  Chapter  —  Correlation 
of  the  Red  Cross  and  American  Schools  —  Reaction  on  the  Home  — 
Reaching  Foreigners  —  Thirty-five  Minutes  a  Day  —  Notes  from 
Reports  —  Awakening  for  the  Country  Child  —  Definite  and  Per- 
manent Beneficial  Results. 

PRIOR  to  September,  1917,  the  Red  Cross  had  only  grown- 
up people  in  its  membership.  It  started  out  with 
every  intention  of  doing  good  work,  but  was  seriously  handi- 
capped by  the  loss  of  men  taken  for  service  and  for  the  ten 
thousand  or  more  other  things  that  a  nation  at  war  had  for 
them  to  do.  This,  of  course,  meant  that  not  only  the  grown- 
up women  but  the  young  women  who  expected  to  be  grown- 
up very  soon  would  have  to  knit  and  sew ;  and,  by  and  by, 
when  more  men  went  away  and  the  demand  for  supplies 
and  shipments  increased,  they  would  have  to  step  in  and  do 
men's  work. 

Up  to  this  time,  at  any  rate,  nobody  had  given  much 
thought  to  the  children.  As  the  months  followed  each 
other,  however,  there  were  more  and  more  Httle  girls  knitting 
wristlets,  helmets,  and  sweaters,  and  doing  it  about  as  well 
as  their  wonderful  mothers  did.  There  were  little  girls 
marching  to  the  Chapter  rooms  and  working  there  like 
troopers  as  long  as  anybody.  And  then  some  one  saw  them 
and  what  they  were  doing,  and  just  for  a  kind  of  curious  men- 

93 


94     THE   AMERICAN    RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

tal  exercise  multiplied  it  by  a  million.  The  result  was  past 
dispute. 

Now  all  the  time  that  the  Red  Cross  was  trying  to  do  for 
the  soldiers  the  things  the  Army  could  not  do ;  while  it  was 
trying  to  do  for  the  stricken  civilians  of  other  lands  what 
their  own  overburdened  governments  could  not  do,  —  what 
in  fact  nobody  else  could  do,  —  the  Red  Cross  needed  some- 
body to  do  what  its  own  organization  and  all  its  army  of 
adult  Chapter  members  had  not  time  or  fingers  for.  So  the 
War  Council  created  a  Junior  Red  Cross,  by  which  process 
''the  Greatest  Mother"  adopted  all  the  school  children 
in  the  United  States,  and  many  more  besides  in  Tokio, 
Shanghai,  London,  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  In  other 
words,  the  children  of  America  became  active  partners  of  the 
Red  Cross.  It  was  to  be  a  family  affair,  and  it  meant  an 
immense  amount  of  organizing  in  the  field  and  at  Head- 
quarters, as  well  as  an  added  bureau  to  the  Department  of 
Development  and  a  new  committee  in  every  Chapter. 

As  can  well  be  imagined  we  did  not  attempt  to  select  work 
that  could  be  done  in  the  schoolroom  and  at  the  same  time 
be  eligible  for  ''service  in  France"  until  after  we  had  made 
a  careful  study  of  Red  Cross  supplies.  Obviously,  this  in- 
volved a  delicate  adjustment  of  the  established  educational 
system ;  it  necessitated  a  great  many  more  things  besides ; 
in  short,  the  Red  Cross  had  cut  out  for  itself  another  big 
section  of  hard  work. 

And,  although  this  was  brought  to  pass  sometime  ago, 
people  even  now,  and  not  infrequently,  have  asked  us 
"why  did  you  do  it?  Why  did  you  bring  into  the  or- 
ganization millions  of  new  untrained  members,  children 
at  that?" 

At  this  distance,  and  in  view  of  what  has  been  carried 
into  effect,  it  seems  almost  unnecessary  to  give  the  reason  : 
but  we  did  it  because  we  believed  that  no  greater  opportunity 
could  be  presented  to  the  children  of  our  country. 


MOBILIZING   THE    CHILDREN  95 

"Let  us  give  the  children  of  to-day  a  share  in  the  nation's 
business,"  reasoned  the  War  Council.  "We  will  let  them  see 
democracy  at  work  so  that  they  may  know  what  to  do  to- 
morrow. What  better  way  to  train  a  generation  for  service 
than  to  give  it  a  share  in  the  active  application  of  Red  Cross 
principles?  Would  it  not  catch  the  child  in  a  moment  of 
enthusiasm  and  organize  all  this  uncentered  force  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  insure  perpetuity  of  effort  in  the  right  direc- 
tion?" 

As  for  the  children  themselves,  there  was  never  a  doubt 
of  their  eagerness  to  serve.  From  the  day  that  that  brother 
got  into  khaki  and  mother  started  her  daily  pilgrimages  to 
the  Red  Cross  workroom  their  question  had  been,  ''What 
can  I  do  to  help  win  the  war?" 

That  the  school  was  the  existing  nucleus,  the  machine 
through  which  all  this  force  flowing  everywhere  could  be 
most  promptly  and  systematically  concentrated,  was  made 
clear  to  us  from  the  very  beginning.  Our  primary  appeal 
was  to  the  idealism  which  fills  the  child's  mind  and  colors  its 
view  of  all  things ;  to  its  bubbling  patriotism,  which  knew 
no  bounds.  But  to  make  it  a  factor  in  promoting  the  world's 
well-being  it  was  necessary  that  it  should  be  reduced  to 
practical  terms  and  placed  upon  a  working  basis.  Through 
the  school  the  child  might  be  brought  at  the  earliest  age  into 
an  understanding  of  national  life  and  participation  in  the 
world's  big  things.  He  might  learn  intelligent  care  and 
preservation  of  health  through  teaching  of  first  aid,  dietetics, 
and  nursing,  all  objectively  useful ;  the  understanding  and 
care  of  animals  as  a  source  of  human  supply,  and  a  knowledge 
of  growing  things.  Over  all  was  necessary  the  inculcation 
of  thrift.  It  required  a  new  course  in  school  —  a  teaching 
of  the  first  truth  that  service,  the  essence  of  patriotism,  is 
the  keynote  of  all  real  accomplishment. 

The  idea  of  course  was  not  wholly  a  new  one.  Some  of 
the  greatest  minds  in  the  world  had  been  trjdng  for  years  to 


96     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

formulate  such  an  idea  in  practical  shape,  and  had  been  en- 
deavoring with  a  discouragingly  small  measure  of  success  to 
translate  it  into  action.  The  task  before  us  was  to  develop 
some  workable  plan  which  should  give  the  new  purpose  its 
proportionate  place  in  the  school  life  and  procedure,  so  that 
the  spirit  it  represented  might  permeate  all  school  work  and 
radiate  through  that  work  and  its  attendant  industries  into 
the  daily  life  of  every  community.  In  this  way  there  could 
be  impressed  upon  the  children  the  understanding  that  they 
were  an  active  and  responsible  part  of  the  whole  world's 
life ;  that  they  were  brothers  and  sisters  of  the  race ;  and 
that  the  human  family  would  be  happier  and  better  when 
unselfishness  and  cleanliness  were  the  rule  the  world  around. 
The  plan  we  evolved  was  as  follows  :  — 

The  Junior  membership  was  a  group  membership.  The 
children  joined  the  Junior  Red  Cross  as  a  school.  They 
raised  a  sum  of  money,  equal  to  twenty-five  cents  per 
member  for  the  school  fund  and  which  went  to  finance 
their  own  Red  Cross  work,  though  under  unusual  cir- 
cumstances a  school  could  earn  its  membership  by  proving 
its  value  to  the  Chapter  as  a  working  unit.  The  School 
Auxiliary  was  a  part  of  the  local  Red  Cross  Chapter.  In 
all  Red  Cross  matters  it  was  guided  by  a  special  group, 
the  Chapter  School  Committee,  which  represented  the 
school  interests  of  the  locality.  In  the  quantity,  variety, 
and  management  of  its  productive  work,  the  School  Aux- 
iliary, officered  by  its  own  teachers  and  principal,  was 
practically  autonomous,  which  usually  resulted  in  the 
Chapter  being  endlessly  besieged  for  larger  quotas  and 
more  work. 

This  was  the  simple  plan  by  which  the  School  Auxiliary 

—  a  powerful  motor  of  Red  Cross  energy  and  enthusiasm 

—  was  organized.  It  was  the  same  story  from  Battle  Creek 
to  San  Francisco  and  back  to  New  York.  One  morning 
when  "Red  Cross"  had  been  in  the  air  for  several  days,  a 


MOBILIZING   THE   CHILDREN  97 

poster  appeared  on  the  wall  of  the  schoolroom.  The  teacher 
explained  that  every  time  a  quarter  was  added  to  the  school 
fund  another  little  cross  could  be  added  to  the  poster.  What 
a  scramble  there  was  for  odd  jobs  after  school !  Everyone 
wanted  to  paste  at  least  one  cross.  Father,  mother,  and 
the  neighbors  never  had  so  many  offers  of  assistance  —  for 
pay ;  and  for  a  while  the  quarters  rolled  in  steadily. 

After  membership  was  assured,  the  school  fund  needed 
constant  replenishment  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  ''supply 
service."  But  since  the  school  fund  could  not  be  kept  up 
by  odd  jobs  alone,  there  being  a  limit  to  the  [woodboxes  to 
be  filled,  the  heads  to  be  shampooed,  the  leaves  to  be  raked, 
and  the  babies  to  be  taken  care  of,  it  was  then  that  the 
day  of  real  business  arrived,  and  every  pupil  joined  forces 
to  swing  a  project  of  real  magnitude  —  an  entertainment, 
a  sale,  a  school  garden,  or  one  of  the  innumerable  "business 
opportunities"  that  the  mind  of  youth  could  devise.  Per- 
haps it  was  a  bazaar  run  by  all  the  schools  of  the  city, 
like  that  of  the  city  of  Minneapolis,  in  the  year  of  1917, 
where  the  stock  was  all  made  by  the  children  in  school 
time.  For  six  weeks  before  the  sale  the  sewing  classes  and 
school  carpenter  shops  were  scenes  of  keen  rivalry  and  com- 
mercial ambition.  The  children  worked  as  never  before  in 
the  knowledge  that  the  fruit  of  their  labor  —  running  the 
gamut  of  transformations  from  knitting  bag  to  silver  coin, 
from  coin  to  hanks  of  wool,  from  unknit  yarn  to  socks  —  at 
last  would  reach  the  soldiers  overseas. 

In  other  instances  it  was  some  arrangement  producing  a 
steady  income.  The  children  of  Los  Angeles  and  the  Red 
Cross  children  in  many  other  places  derived  unfailing  sup- 
port from  the  collection  of  unsalable  waste.  Periodical  calls 
were  made  upon  householders,  who  gladly  surrendered  the 
week's  accumulation  of  waste  paper,  old  rubbers,  tooth-paste 
tubes,  and  broken  pans.  The  booty  was  carried  off  trium- 
phantly in  '' two-boy"  power-cars,  to  be  turned  into  real 


98     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE    GREAT   WAR 

money  by  a  senior  Red  Cross  Committee.  The  Los  Angeles 
school  fund  averaged  about  a  thousand  dollars  a  month 
from  this  source. 

In  Southern  California  the  Juniors  harvested  castor  oil 
beans  from  vacant  lots.  In  Lenhi  County,  Idaho,  they 
collected  five  hundred  pounds  of  wool  from  the  trees  and 
the  wire  fences  of  the  sheep  ranges.  Some  New  Jersey 
children  marketed  arbutus  in  Atlantic  City.  During  the 
season  of  sudden  rains  a  Minnesota  youngster  capitalized 
the  weather  by  standing  on  the  street  corner  with  an  um- 
brella, ready  to  take  people  home  from  the  car  for  five  cents. 

Frequently,  the  children's  financial  activities  were  of 
double  value  —  they  seemed  to  have  a  faculty  for  hitting 
both  birds  with  one  stone.  The  war  gardens  added  to  the 
national  food  supply.  Toy  making  in  school  workshops 
aided  markets  that  were  depleted  by  the  boycott  on  "Made 
in  Germany."  The  collection  of  junk  saved  time  and  raw 
materials  for  overcrowded  war  industries.  Though  their 
efforts  were  occasionally  amusing  and  their  successes  fre- 
quently amazing,  it  was  not  to  be  forgotten  that  the  first 
value  of  all  this  work  was  not  the  resulting  dollars  and  cents ; 
young  America  was  learning  from  the  school  fund  the  value 
of  money,  and  acquiring  some  little  skill  in  the  business  of 
handling  it.  One  youngster  remarked  thoughtfully,  ''You 
are  really  giving  when  you  give  to  the  Red  Cross,  because  all 
you  get  out  of  it  is  the  good  feeling  that  you  have  '  done  your 
bit.' "  No,  young  man,  that  is  not  all.  When  you  put  your 
"movie"  nickel  in  the  Red  Cross  box,  you  found  out  some- 
thing about  budgets  and  the  relative  value  of  money  for  you 
and  for  the  starving  refugee,  something  that  you  did  not 
know  before  the  war  came  to  America  and  the  Junior  Red 
Cross  came  to  your  school. 

But  raising  money  was  the  beginning,  not  the  end,  of  the 
Junior's  work.  As  fast  as  the  coins  came  in  they  were 
turned  into  supplies  for  the  Red  Cross.    Everybody  had  a 


MOBILIZING   THE   CHILDREN  99 

share !  The  girls  sewed  and  knitted  in  sewing-class ;  the 
boys  in  their  manual-training  shops  turned  out  hundreds 
of  pieces  for  the  Red  Cross  convalescent  houses,  and  thou- 
sands of  peg  legs,  potato  mashers,  equipment  chests,  bedside 
tables,  splints,  etc.,  for  the  use  of  the  United  States  Army. 
Even  the  youngest  kindergartner  could  string  together 
the  right  number  of  buttons  for  a  garment. 

In  four  months  last  year  the  Junior  Red  Cross  delivered 
255,000  refugee  garments  —  garments  that  saved  lives  in 
Europe.  In  an  even  shorter  time  the  boys  contributed  over 
4000  articles,  which  included  writing  tables,  chairs,  benches, 
rugs,  etc.,  for  the  furnishing  of  the  Red  Cross  convalescent 
houses  in  our  American  camps.  Most  of  this  valuable  supply 
work  for  the  Red  Cross  was  done  by  the  children  as  a  part  of 
their  school  work.  Instead  of  making  model  aprons,  tabo- 
rets,  and  pencil-racks,  in  order  to  learn  the  processes  of 
laying  hems  and  joining  corners,  they  made  pinafores  for 
children  who  really  needed  them  and  splints  for  wounded 
Yanks.  The  stimulus  to  proper  hemming  and  joining  was 
immediate  and  wonderful.  The  following  incident  relating 
to  a  little  girl  of  ten  years  is  vouched  for:  ''Well,  Mary, 
are  you  learning  to  sew?"  asked  an  interested  visitor  to 
the  Red  Cross  sewing  class  in  Arizona.  "I  don't  know," 
replied  Mary,  who  was  taking  out  a  seam  for  the  third 
time  that  hour,  "but  I'm  certainly  learning  to  rip."  It 
may  not  be  out  of  place  to  assert  here  that  work  for  the 
Red  Cross  opened  the  stage  door  to  the  great  world  drama. 

What  little  girl  laying  careful  stitches  did  not  visualize 
the  French  four-year-old  who  was  to  be  wrapped  in  that 
very  cloak,  or  see  a  gallant  ''doughboy"  charging  across  No 
Man's  Land  wearing  her  socks?  What  boy  did  not  drive 
his  plane  straighter  for  thinking  of  the  wounded  Yank 
whose  life  might  be  saved  by  this  very  splint  ? 

The  Junior  cog  fitted  happily  into  the  Chapter  machinery. 
Numberless  were  the  ways  in  which  the  children  could  help. 


100     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

They  were  tireless  enthusiasts  for  parades  and  pageants. 
They  oiled  the  wheels  of  administration,  not  in  a  haphazard 
way,  but  in  orderly  relays  of  stenographers,  clerks,  mes- 
sengers, and  odd-jobbers.  Bare  workrooms  acquired  tables 
and  cabinets  from  the  school  carpentry  shops,  while  standard 
packing  cases  appeared  in  the  storerooms  with  yarn  winders 
and  knitting  needles  without  end.  The  print  shops  turned 
out  creditable  stationery  and  office  blanks.  ''Call  up  the 
Junior  Red  Cross,"  became  a  familiar  phrase  on  the  lips 
of  the  Chapter  chairman. 

The  success  of  the  Junior  Red  Cross  was  founded  on  the 
correlation  of  two  great  systems,  the  Red  Cross  and  the 
American  schools.  It  was  made  possible  only  by  enthusiasm 
and  hard  work  on  both  sides.  Fitting  the  Red  Cross  pro- 
gram into  60,000  schools,  and  doing  it  in  the  first  year  of  the 
new  membership,  was  not  a  small  task.  But  the  school  is 
the  children's  natural  workshop  —  it  must  teach  him  to  deal 
with  life,  or  its  mission  has  failed.  He  can  learn  to  control 
human  situations  only  through  meeting  them.  Together 
these  two  great  forces,  the  school  and  the  Red  Cross,  gave 
the  boys  and  girls  of  America  their  rightful  place  in  the 
nation's  work. 

By  opening  the  road  of  mercy  beyond  the  town  orphanage 
to  the  pain-racked  thousands  of  France,  the  Red  Cross 
offered  the  children  of  America  an  active  part  in  the  great 
issues  of  to-day.  It  put  the  schoolhouse  in  perspective 
with  the  world  situation.  For  children,  as  well  as  for  men 
and  women,  work  strengthened  the  emotional  thrill  aroused 
by  the  Stars  and  Stripes  into  something  more  durable  and 
active  —  the  will  to  serve. 

In  many  cases  the  thing  went  farther  than  the  children. 
For  instance,  in  a  Chicago  school  a  whirlv/ind  campaign  had 
won  100  per  cent  membership  and  the  children  were  very 
proud  of  their  new  Red  Cross  buttons.  At  the  end  of  the 
day  one  boy  brought  his  badge  to  the  teacher  with  a  request 


MOBILIZING   THE    CHILDREN  101 

that  she  keep  it  overnight,  his  father  having  promised  to 
give  him  a  beating  if  he  came  home  with  any  such  nonsense. 
The  teacher  explained  that  the  button  was  his  own  respon- 
sibihty ;  that  he  had  wanted  to  join  the  Red  Cross  and  he 
could  not  be  a  member  in  school  and  a  non-member  out- 
side ;  and  that  he  could  not  check  his  membership  with 
her  to  be  called  for  the  next  day.  The  boy  saw  the  issue 
at  once  and  v/ore  his  button  home  with  a  good  deal  of 
trepidation.  The  next  day  he  was  looking  cheerful.  He 
had  not  been  punished,  though  family  disapproval  was 
deep.  Work  progressed,  and  with  it  the  Junior's  en- 
thusiasm. A  month  later  the  boy's  father  appeared  at  the 
school.  The  teacher  prepared  for  a  struggle.  *'Say,"  he 
asked,  "can  I  get  one  of  those  buttons  like  my  boy 
wears?" 

All  through  the  Southwest  the  Junior  Red  Cross  broke 
through  the  barriers  that  confronted  foreigners  too  shy  to 
go  to  Chapter  workrooms  or  talk  with  strangers.  These 
aliens  had  no  contact  with  the  patriotic  life  of  their  com- 
munities, until  women  came  to  school  with  their  children, 
asking  to  be  allowed  to  sew  for  the  war  sufferers. 

American  children  of  many  nationahties  are  in  the  ranks 
of  the  Red  Cross  workers.  Tim  Ford,  the  prize  draftsman 
of  the  Tonopah,  Nevada,  Auxiliary,  made  furniture  for 
Red  Cross  houses.  In  spite  of  his  name,  Tim  was  a  full- 
blooded  Chinese.  The  Blue  Bird  Club  was  a  group  of 
Chinese  girls,  somewhere  in  the  Pacific  Division,  each  of 
whom  made  at  least  one  garment  for  a  soldier.  Little 
Italians,  busy  in  their  American  schoolrooms  making  clothes 
for  other  Italians  who  fled  across  the  Piave  before  the  on- 
coming Austrians,  felt  a  great  pride  in  the  big-hearted,  long- 
armed  country  of  their  adoption.  Race  prejudices  gave  way 
before  sympathy  of  ideals. 

There  were  twenty-six  small  Japanese  in  the  Rick  Spring 
School  in  New  Castle,  California.    A  year  ago  they  organized 


102     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

their  School  Auxiliary  to  sew  for  French  refugees.  East  and 
West  met  in  the  great  American  schoolrooms.  Out  of  the 
war  must  come  a  brotherhood  that  will  reach  the  national 
frontiers;  and  the  children,  still  free  from  prejudice  and 
bitterness,  the  inevitable  concomitants  of  war,  learned  this 
wide  sympathy  from  the  Red  Cross. 

The  plan  for  fitting  Red  Cross  work  into  the  school  system 
allowed  a  maximum  of  thirty-five  minutes  in  the  school 
program  of  every  day  as  a  service  period.  The  service 
period  gave  opportunity  for  discussion  of  the  interests  and 
activities  of  the  Red  Cross,  the  aims  of  the  war,  thrift, 
conservation,  and  all  the  other  things  in  which  the  child 
could  cooperate.  This  fixed  the  Red  Cross  idea  in  school 
life  and  in  the  school  mind,  —  dignified  it  by  making  it  a 
fundamental  part  of  education,  a  preparation  for  life.  It 
was  a  practical  reply  to  the  call  of  human  society  on  every 
person  for  his  contribution  toward  the  world's  welfare. 

The  school  work  did  not  end  with  the  school  hours.  The 
activities  discussed  in  the  classroom  were  followed  up  by  the 
teachers  who,  in  this  service,  became  the  officers  of  the 
child  army;  from  principal  down,  they  had  the  handling 
of  their  Red  Cross  forces  to  think  of  and  plan  for.  There 
was  actually  work  to  do,  and  the  system  injected  a  new  pur- 
pose and  a  new  interest  in  the  school  life. 

The  rural  schools,  where  an  overtaxed  teacher  coped  with 
a  multitude  of  sulbjects,  offered  a  somewhat  difficult  situation. 
The  meeting  of  that  situation  happily  involved  assistance 
on  Red  Cross  afternoons  from  the  parents  of  pupils,  who 
helped  in  conducting  the  many  lines  of  Red  Cross  work. 
This  worked  two  ways ;  the  lessons  of  cooperation  and 
service  went  straight  to  the  home  in  double  measure. 

It  was  obvious  from  the  beginning  that  Red  Cross  teach- 
ing, to  enlist  popular  favor,  must  interfere  to  a  minimum 
degree  with  the  process  of  scholastic  instruction,  and  also 
show  convincing  results  in  increased  practical  ability  and 


MOBILIZING   THE    CHILDREN  103 

development  of  character.  The  returns  were  most  gratify- 
ing. The  range  of  benefits,  material,  moral,  and  social, 
surprised  even  the  people  who  had  devised  the  plan  and  who 
had  the  faith  in  its  efficacy  that  enthusiasm  gives.  Re- 
ports from  schools  all  over  the  United  States  make  an 
interesting  contribution  to  the  literature  of  education. 
They  are  a  volume  on  juvenile  psychology,  a  revelation 
of  a  keen  intelligence  in  children  which  had  never  before 
been  suspected. 

A  number  of  things  came  to  light.  The  school  child  of 
America  proved  himself  possessor  of  resourcefulness,  in- 
vention, ingenuity  in  finding  ways  and  means,  faculty  of 
organization,  capability  in  execution,  competitive  energy, 
and  understanding  of  the  olDJectives  and  the  inner  meaning 
of  the  war  in  such  a  degree  as  to  put  him  fairly  on  a  plane 
with  his  elders ;  the  demand  on  his  generosity  disclosed 
unselfishness  and  intelhgent  sympathy  for  the  sufferings  of 
children  in  other  countries. 

From  an  extensive  file  of  reports  on  Junior  Red  Cross  work 
in  schools  in  all  parts  of  the  Union,  these  sentences,  taken  at 
random,  tell  a  story : 

"War  has  laid  its  hands  upon  American  children  as  well  as  those  in 
Europe  —  they  are  taking  the  responsibility  seriously,  as  is  shown  by  the 
readiness  to  sacrifice  leisure  time  and  candy  money  to  the  success  of  school 
war  work." 

"The  need  of  raising  money  for  the  school  fund  has  brought  business 
ability  to  light  in  unexpected  quarters.  Children  who  liitherto  have  had 
no  sense  of  money  values  have  worked,  saved,  and  sacrificed  to  get  money 
for  the  Red  Cross." 

"War  work  leaves  no  time  for  loitering.  Labor  is  dignified,  and  they 
manifest  a  desire  to  earn  money  rather  than  have  it  given  to  them.  They 
hoard  pennies  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  miser,  but  only  to  give  the 
money  to  the  Red  Cross.  Thrift  is  no  longer  a  dull  personal  virtue,  but 
a  patriotic  service." 

"Time  and  money,  of  which  youth  is  by  nature  prodigal,  are  taking 
on  new  values  to  the  children." 

"Cooperation  is  essential  to  the  success  of  such  undertakings  as  sales 


104     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE    GREAT   WAR 

and  entertainments,  and  this  ability  to  work  together  is  carried  into  more 
personal  relations." 

'^  "The  hard  work  which  the  children  have  done  has  impressed  them  with 
the  necessity  for  neatness,  accuracy,  and  teamwork." 

"From  the  tragedy  of  war,  children  are  learning  the  lessons  of  co- 
operation and  service." 

"Active  generosity  and  the  power  of  working  with  other  people  are 
by-products  of  these  financial  enterprises." 

"The  Red  Cross  is  not  an  outside  organization.  The  children  have 
made  it  their  own.  Their  enthusiasm  for  its  interests  has  drawn  out 
their  best  virtues  and  proved  that  children  can  do  much  bigger  and  more 
important  work  than  is  generally  expected  of  them." 

"Hitherto  we  have  dwelt  chiefly  upon  the  benefits,  privileges,  and 
immunities  of  a  democracy,  without  sufficiently  stressing  the  responsibil- 
ities impUed  in  its  citizenship.  Now  every  child  is  realizing  that  he, 
as  well  as  the  greatest  and  wisest  of  his  seniors,  has  a  share  in  win- 
ning the  war.  The  habits  and  the  ideas  that  he  is  establishing  are 
a  national  gain." 

"For  years  there  has  been  a  conscientious  efifort  to  teach  patriotism 
to  the  children  of  our  American  schools,  but  because  the  teaching  was 
only  verbal  it  often  remained  as  a  school  association  rather  than  as  a 
reality  of  after  life.    The  Red  Cross  has  vitaUzed  idealistic  patriotism." 

"There  is  no  evidence  of  lowered  standards  of  school  work  —  rather 
boys  and  girls  feel  the  necessity  of  studying  hard  to  lay  a  foundation  for 
future  work.  The  children  accept  personal  responsibility  and  the  binding 
values  of  a  pledge  of  service." 

"Common  interest  and  labor  shared  make  a  real  basis  of  democracy. 
Home  and  school  are  drawn  closer  together.  Through  the  work  of  their 
hands  the  children  have  won  fellowship  with  their  schoolmates,  with  the 
millions  of  men  and  women  who  are  working  for  the  Red  Cross,  with 
soldiers  in  the  trenches,  and  the  refugees  behind  the  fines.  There  has 
come  a  wonderful  awakening  for  the  country  child.  He  realizes  for  the 
first  time  his  own  importance  as  a  part  of  the  country  —  he  is  surprised 
and  stimulated  with  his  new  outlook  upon  life.  He  develops  an  altruism 
hitherto  unsuspected  among  these  somewhat  self-centered  out  of  the  way 
boys  and  girls.  He  is  not  to  be  outdone  in  his  sacrificial  service  by  his 
city  cousin,  but  gives  himself,  his  interests,  his  time,  his  money,  and  his 
energies." 

"Without  seeming  pessimistic,  one  may  truly  say  that  the  average 
modern  child  had  become  self-centered.  The  next  generation  is  learning 
lessons  of  responsibility  and  honest  service." 


MOBILIZING   THE    CHILDREN  105 

These  are  not  editorial  observations.  They  are  the  first- 
hand reactions  of  men  and  women  who  saw  this  Junior 
Red  Cross  work  start  and  watched  its  progress,  who  knew 
the  old  conditions  and  noted  the  changes,  who  saw  un- 
imagined  blossoms  of  character  and  ability  grow  swiftly 
out  of  the  soil  of  selfishness,  carelessness,  and  sloth.  There 
has  come  a  new  vitality  into  all  school  life,  even  into  the 
slow  old  routine  of  its  exercises.  The  imitative  impulse  of 
childhood  has  a  new  goal :  The  lad  no  longer  imitates  the 
bad  man  of  his  village  but  has  a  new  dream  and  a  new 
model.  He  wants  to  keep  fit  like  the  soldiers,  who  have  so 
nobly  thrashed  the  Huns. 

Arithmetic  loses  its  terrors  when  its  problems  are  practical 
and  urgent  ones.  The  dismal  maps  of  the  school  geography 
become  a  stage  on  which  is  passing  the  most  thrilling 
"movie"  of  all  history.  Continents  and  peoples  that  once 
had  for  the  American  boy  no  more  vital  meaning  than  Noah's 
Ark  animals  are  alive  with  interest  that  is  intensely  personal 
to  him  and  to  the  boy  next  door.  The  threads  of  all  the 
world  run  straight  to  his  own  house,  and  in  the  great  picture 
of  mankind's  activity  he  feels  himself  a  recognizable  figure. 
The  responsibilities  and  the  vi^dd  interests  of  world  citizen- 
ship, the  thrill  of  a  proud  nationalism,  have  gripped  him  with 
a  hold  that  can  never  be  loosened.  He  reads  history  now, 
as  no  parental  pleadings  have  ever  been  able  to  prevail 
upon  him  heretofore  to  do ;  it  is  the  new  history  that  every 
tempestuous  day  of  war  has  written.  He  is  gathering  from 
every  possible  source  the  answers  to  questions  that  are  ever- 
lastingly asking  themselves  in  his  busy  brain. 

This  is  education  in  its  best  form.  This  is  the  leading  of 
the  home-boimd  mind  out  into  the  light  of  the  wide  world's 
life  and  learning.  But  there  is  the  reverse  action  of  all  the 
enthusiasm  of  interest.  The  school  child,  with  the  intuitive 
deduction  which  is  a  child  property,  gets  at  once  the  truth 
that  if  the  strong  and  the  clean  are  to  win,  if  right  and  de- 


106     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

cency  are  factors  in  leadership,  then  these  virtues  must  begin 
at  home.  It  is  ''many  a  mickle  that  makes  the  muckle" 
and  his  town  mus{  not  be  the  only  decadent  spot  in  Denmark. 
The  Red  Cross  says  "community  service,"  and  it  translates 
itself  instantly  into  terms  of  a  clean  town,  a  healthful  town, 
a  progressive  town,  a  busy  town,  a  town  full  of  thrift  and 
empty  of  rubbish,  and  lending  every  possible  hand  to  the 
world's  big  work. 

It  is  hard  to  overestimate  the  value  and  weight  of  the 
endeavor  which  was  evoked  in  all  these  millions  of  children 

—  at  the  time  that  I  write  their  number  is  given,  10,728,715 

—  by  this  call  for  personal  service.  All  the  vitality,  all  the 
invention,  all  the  sacrifice,  which  in  the  old  lazy  days  used 
to  go  to  finding  some  way  of  dodging  work,  were  transformed 
and  galvanized  into  righteous  industry. 

By  the  wisdom  and  ingenuity  of  the  teacher  and  those 
who  worked  with  him,  this  new  understanding  was  converted 
into  national  habits.  It  was  systematized  and  dramatized, 
it  was  provided  with  workable  methods,  and  it  was  sur- 
rounded with  a  living  interest  which  was  to  continue  after 
the  stimulus  of  war  had  passed  away. 

The  Red  Cross,  with  all  its  wide  labors  for  the  good  of 
others,  has  done  nothing  more  vital  to  the  making  of  a 
better  and  more  livable  world  than  this  stimulation  and 
organization  of  child  energy,  this  establishment  of  new  aims, 
new  standards,  and  a  new  field  of  ambition  for  the  young. 


CHAPTER   IX 

SUPPLIES   AND    TRANSPORTATION 

Trying  Problems  of  Organization  —  Personnel  Department  —  Demand 
and  Supply  —  Some  Illuminating  Figures  —  Address  of  the  Italian 
Premier  —  "Emergency"  Provision  —  The  Earthquake  at  Guate- 
mala—  The  Halifax  Disaster  —  "Hurry"  Calls  —  Red  Cross  Pur- 
chases Combined  with  Those  for  the  War  Department  —  Bureau  of 
Stores  —  Shipping  Space  for  Red  Cross  Supplies  —  Bureau  of  Trans- 
portation —  Report  of  Baltimore  Export  Warehouse  —  Some  Figures 
from  Report  of  New  York  Warehouse  —  Free  Space  Accorded  Red 
Cross  —  Insurance  Problem  a  Difficult  One. 

ALTHOUGH  founded  on  sentiment  and  built  on  purely 
idealistic  elements,  the  Red  Cross  was,  nevertheless, 
called  upon  to  perform  the  most  mechanical  of  all  functions 
and  upon  the  biggest  imaginable  scale. 

With  free  hand  and  unstinting  faith  the  American  people 
gave  to  the  Red  Cross  large  sums  to  be  converted  into 
everything  that  our  fighting  men  might  lack,  everything 
that  a  wide  and  woeful  world  might  stand  in  need  of.  The 
money  was  given  with  the  intention  that  it  would  be  made 
to  go  as  far  as  energy  and  business  intelligence  could  make 
it  go.     It  was  a  big  trust ;  a  stupendous  contract. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  Red  Cross  had  many  trying 
problems  of  organization,  but  none  that  were  greater  than 
this.  Obviously,  the  men  to  solve  it  were  those  who  had 
been  identified  with  industrial  and  commercial  institutions ; 
men  who  could  apply  to  Red  Cross  operations  the  lessons 
of  long  and  successful  experience  in  business  life. 

It  was  to  such  men  as  these,  therefore,  that  the  War 

107 


108    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS  IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Council  turned  to  constitute  the  Red  Cross  Department  of 
Supplies  and  Transportation.  In  the  handhng  of  this 
huge  business  of  buying  and  shipping  suppUes  they  utilized 
the  wisdom  of  which  commercial  competition  is  the  shrewdest 
teacher.  They  were  the  men  who  converted  the  sentimental 
dollar  worth  into  anywhere  from  one  to  three  dollars'  worth 
of  clothing,  food,  medicine,  and  a  thousand  other  things, 
and  saw  to  it  that  they  reached  the  people  who  needed  them 
in  the  shortest  possible  time. 

The  operations  of  the  Department  of  Supplies  and  Trans- 
portation must  not  be  translated  by  the  famiUar  and  prosaic 
lexicon  of  trade,  but  in  the  language  of  the  need  and  suffering 
that  war  brings.  Its  interminable  invoices  and  correspond- 
ence ever  reflect  a  picture  like  that,  for  instance,  which 
France  presented  in  1917.  Back  of  its  continuous  transfer 
of  commodities,  of  shifting  debits  and  credits,  was  the 
spurring  consciousness  of  the  sick  and  starving  thousands 
of  Macedonia  and  Serbia  where  brutality  had  left  a  grave- 
yard and  waste ;  through  the  hours  of  its  buying  and 
the  rapid  fire  of  its  typewriters  echoed  the  cries  of  the 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  unfed  babies  in  the  city  of 
Petrograd. 

There  was  a  stimulus  in  this  world's  cry  that  chained 
these  men  to  the  job,  that  humanized  and  fairly  put  the 
breath  of  fife  into  the  bills-of-lading,  ships'  manifests,  and 
monthly  statements,  and  not  the  reward  that  was  in  it, 
for  there  was  none. 

With  noiseless  and  methodical  routine  they  went  on 
filhng  the  orders  and  getting  the  ships  away.  Everything 
marched  with  speed  and  with  lost  motion  reduced  to  a 
minimum.  In  business  this  would  spell  dividends;  in 
the  Red  Cross  its  profits  were  counted  in  lives  saved.  For 
these  purposes  $9,000,000  a  month  in  supplies  passed  over- 
seas to  our  fighting  men,  to  our  allies,  and  to  the  needy 
of  many  lands,  in  addition  to  the  great  quantities  pur- 


SUPPLIES  AND   TRANSPORTATION  109 

chased  abroad  and  the  things  purchased  for  our  soldiers 
at  home. 

A  few  men  kept  this  extraordinary  work  moving.  Each 
had  faith  in  the  force  of  the  saying  ''the  fellow  who  gets  to 
the  top  is  the  one  who  can  see  what  is  going  on  outside  with- 
out looking  through  the  window."  Thanks  to  that  faculty 
the  trains  and  trucks  were  always  trailing  to  the  seaboard ; 
the  warehouses  always  had  cargoes  waiting ;  and  the  ships 
with  Red  Cross  money  changed  into  victuals,  clothes,  and 
hospital  supphes  followed  each  other  to  the  lands  where 
the  lack  was.  Organization  wise,  the  Department  of 
Supphes  and  Transportation  was  self-descriptive :  it  meant 
and  did  just  what  it  said ;  it  exchanged  the  money  for  the 
thousands  of  things  needed  and  transferred  them  from  one 
part  of  the  earth  to  another.  On  the  chart,  Hke  any  other 
business  mechanism,  it  looked  hke  ABC.  The  details 
were  multifarious  but  invisible.  The  fingers  of  this  Depart- 
ment nevertheless  reached  out  into  every  field  and  phase 
of  industrial,  agricultural,  and  commercial  production  and 
into  every  market  place.  There  was  scarcely  a  product 
which  could  be  used  for  human  comfort  that  it  did  not 
gather  to  its  warehouses.  The  diversity  of  commodities 
was  surprising.  The  manifests  of  these  shipments  for 
Russia,  France,  and  the  Mediterranean,  were  as  catholic 
as  a  mail-order  catalogue.  They  seem  fantastical  until 
one  stops  to  visualize  the  countries  for  which  they  were 
bound ;  then  every  item  explains  itself ;  every  column  of 
figures  supphes  a  vision. 

Take,  for  example,  the  figures  that  represent  the  January, 
1918,  shipment  to  Italy :  — 

Surgical  Dressings 1,495,270 

Hospital  Supplies 454,536 

Hospital  Garments 384,517 

Articles  for  Soldiers  and  Sailors 52,369 

Total 2,334,323 


110     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

And  again  in  February  *.  — 

Surgical  Dressings 1,349,026 

Hospital  Supplies 258,075 

Hospital  Garments 226,214 

Refugee  Garments 4,059 

Articles  for  Soldiers  and  Sailors 1,601 

Total 1,838,975 

What  do  these  figures  conjure  up,  I  ask,  if  not  the  after- 
math of  the  Itahan  disaster  at  Caporetto !  What  do  they 
instantly  summon  to  mind  if  not  a  picture  of  wounded 
and  homeless  men  safe,  at  last,  and  cared  for  behind  the 
barrier  of  the  Piave!  But  if  visualization  is  lacking  and 
words  needed  to  understand  the  appreciation  of  the  Italian 
people  of  the  prompt  action  taken  by  the  American  Red 
Cross  in  forwarding  supplies,  I  take  the  liberty  to  quote 
from  an  address  at  the  opening  of  the  Italian  Parliament :  — 

"Our  soul  is  stirred  again,"  said  the  Premier,  "with 
appreciation  and  with  admiration  for  the  magnificent  dash 
with  which  the  American  Red  Cross  has  brought  us  powerful 
aid  in  our  recent  misfortune.  We  attribute  great  value  to 
the  cooperation  which  will  be  given  us  against  the  common 
enemy  by  the  prodigious  activity  and  by  the  exuberant 
and  consistent  force  which  are  peculiar  to  the  American 
people.  .  .  ." 

But  to  return  to  the  items :  Take  them  straight  down 
from  the  A's ;  there  is  purpose  and  use  for  them  all.  In 
the  distance  that  you  travel  between  adding-machines 
and  yolk-powder  you  can  see  the  whole  panorama  of  war 
and  of  the  people  whom  it  has  made  forlorn ;  and,  inciden- 
tally, when  you  get  to  the  Y's,  you  have  passed  an  astonish- 
ing amount  of  money.  An  entry  of  "ambulances  and 
automobiles"  brings  into  view  with  photographic  clearness 
the  ancient  French  and  Italian  highways,  cluttered  with  the 
impedimenta  of  war  and  scarred  with  the  ruin  which  the 
Germans  left  behind  them.    The  long  list  of  "agricultural 


SUPPLIES  AND   TRANSPORTATION  111 

supplies,"  formerly  itemized  under  "farm-machinery, 
tractors,  farm-tools,  seeds,  and  fertilizers,"  reveals  the 
French  peasant  —  sturdy  women,  men  broken  on  war's 
pitiless  wheel  —  trying  with  new  American  methods  to 
restore  the  lost  food  production  of  France,  or  the  unbending 
Serbian  working  out  his  own  victualing  problem  again  on 
the  rich  acres  that  the  Austrians  could  not  hold. 

There  was  an  unbehevable  quantity  of  hospital  supplies 
and  equipment  and  tents  and  portable  buildings  to  shelter 
them  and  which  moved  promptly  in  case  of  need.  There 
were  drugs  and  surgical  apparatus  without  end  for  the 
intricate  operations  which  have  come  into  common  practice 
with  the  frightful  wounds  of  this  war.  They  tell  their  own 
stories  of  the  scientific  care  which  the  Allied  soldier  received. 

There  are  household  goods  in  variety  that  is  dishearten- 
ing in  these  days  of  high  prices :  Games,  clothing  of  every 
known  fashion  and  size,  camp  things,  auto  parts,  oils, 
gasohne,  blocks,  rope  bottles,  blacking,  catgut,  Bristol  board, 
baiUng  machines,  cement,  arm  and  leg  supports,  rubberized 
caps,  carborundum,  earthenware,  glass  sides,  fire  extin- 
guishers, enameled  goods,  crutches,  cork,  comfort  kits, 
thermometers  and  photographic  films,  baseballs,  dental 
goods,  cutlery,  nails,  mouth  organs,  hooks  and  eyes,  in- 
cubators, hammocks,  ovens,  mattresses,  grindstones,  razors, 
rakes,  pillow-cases,  tree-sprayers,  stretchers,  scales,  stoves, 
pens,  pill-rollers,  syringes,  shop  tools,  wax,  threshing- 
machines,  sweaters,  tubing,  washing-machines,  puzzles  and 
sewing-machines,  oil-heaters  and  moving-picture  apparatus, 
operating-tables  and  spool  cotton,  trench  candles,  etc.,  etc. 
This  list  taken  from  the  files  is  sufficient  to  reflect  the  strange 
and  almost  absurdly  variegated  life  that  was  lived  in  the 
zone  of  war. 

The  Bureau  of  Purchases,  whose  business  it  was  to  buy 
all  these  innumerable  things,  divided  its  supplies  into  two 
sections :    one  was  made  up  of  what  it  had  to  buy  and. 


112     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

furthermore,  to  buy  far  in  advance  of  the  need  in  order  not 
to  be  caught  short  when  the  hurry  call  might  come.  These 
were  the  raw  materials  for  Chapter  production  which  the 
women  of  America  had  turned  out  in  a  ceaseless  stream 
with  an  astonishing  total.  The  other  section  included  sup- 
plies requisitioned  by  Foreign  Commissions  and  supplies 
used  for  our  boys  at  home.  It  is  just  as  impossible  to  set 
forth  in  detail  the  infinite  processes  and  steps  by  which 
these  tons  of  diverse  commodities  were  assembled  together 
from  everywhere  and  set  afloat  as  it  is  to  depict  with  par- 
ticularity the  great  scenes  in  which  they  later  appeared. 

It  will  give  one  but  little  idea  to  know  that  1,229,016 
"pounds"  of  men's  shoes  were  shipped  —  practically  all 
to  France,  Rumania,  and  Serbia  —  up  to  July  31,  1918, 
and  that  150,000  pairs  went  to  Vladivostok  in  August 
for  the  Czecho-Slovaks.  All  of  the  women's  shoes  were 
bought  in  Europe.  Surgical  instruments  do  not  weigh 
much  singly,  but  they  cost  prodigiously,  and  in  July  the 
Red  Cross  delivered  over  170  tons  of  them  across  the  seas 
to  mend  shattered  and  twisted  bodies.  In  sheer  weight, 
it  is  interesting  to  observe,  cigarettes  and  tobacco  ran  a 
close  second  to  automobiles  and  ambulances,  which  show 
a  total  of  over  1300  tons.  In  three  months  alone  280,000,000 
cigarettes  were  sent  overseas.  There  were  237  tons  of 
bandages  and  209  tons  of  absorbent  cotton ;  400  tons  of 
drugs  ;  320  tons  of  soap  ;  274  tons  of  sheeting ;  48  tons  of 
slippers;  32  tons  of  pillow-cases;  170  tons  of  surveyors' 
instruments,  and  30  tons  of  towels.  There  are  some  of 
these  totals  that  are  mystifying,  for  example,  40  pounds 
of  yardsticks ;  but  63  tons  of  chewing-gum  confirms  the 
oft-reiterated  declaration  that  the  Red  Cross  tried  to  make 
the  American  soldier  feel  at  home. 

In  war  time  "foodstuffs"  was  the  most  comprehensive 
word  in  the  English  tongue;  it  meant  everything  from 
pepper  and  jam  to  priceless  ham  and  white  wheat  flour; 


i->-  ^-  7.  -'■■  ■  .^j^^.iitJi:^^'^:^ 


SUPPLIES   AND   TRANSPORTATION  113 

even  big  business  economizes  on  the  clerical  items  when  it 
comes  to  foodstuffs. 

There  were  times  also  when  emergency  was  a  most  de- 
scriptive word.  In  contemplation  of  its  task  the  Supply 
Department  classed  all  the  provisions  it  made  for  civihan 
rehef,  mihtary  relief,  and  foreign  relief  as  "emergency." 
In  the  crisis  of  necessity  all  the  red  tape  was  cut.  For 
instance,  when  the  earthquake  shattered  Guatemala,  there 
came  on  Saturday  afternoon  a  cry  for  help.  It  was  in  the 
middle  of  winter  and,  naturally,  the  next  day  was  Sunday, 
but  Monday  was  New  Year's  Day ;  a  telegram  brought  the 
information  that  a  ship  was  clearing  from  New  Orleans  for 
Guatemala  on  Tuesday  noon ;  at  once  a  hst  of  food  and  drugs 
and  clothing  was  telegraphed  together  with  instructions  to 
a  Red  Cross  man,  a  New  Orleans  banker,  that  these  things 
must  be  on  board  when  the  vessel  cleared,  which  they  were. 

When  the  explosion  of  December,  1917,  shook  Halifax, 
it  was  the  same  story  :  the  Red  Cross  got  together  carloads 
of  everything  that  could  possibly  be  needed  and  had  them 
in  Hahfax  within  twenty-four  hours.  It  would  seem, 
therefore,  that  provocation  is  all  that  is  needed  to  effectuate 
results  for,  again,  when  the  Bureau  of  Foreign  Relief  handed 
over  a  cable  to  the  effect  that  the  people  in  the  Madeira 
Islands  were  starving  to  death,  there  was  a  response  from  the 
Supply  Department  that  surprised  even  themselves.  What 
the  Madeirans  wanted  to  maintain  life  in  their  little  island 
was  com.  On  the  Atlantic  Coast  there  was  no  corn.  In 
Illinois  they  were  making  fat  steers  and  60-cent  bacon  out 
of  it.  A  ship  loading  in  Norfolk  for  Madeira  was  scheduled 
to  sail  in  four  days  and  Chicago,  in  those  times  of  congested 
traffic,  was  far  away.  The  Supply  and  Transportation 
Department  cracked  this  nut  in  three  taps :  first,  it  got  the 
Navy  Department  to  delay  the  sailing ;  second,  it  bought, 
by  wire,  a  thousand  tons  of  corn  in  Chicago ;  third,  it  got 
a  priority  order  from  the  Railroad  Administration;    with 


114     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

the  result  that  the  corn  was  hurried  into  38  cars  and  rushed 
out  of  Chicago  on  a  special  train.  It  was  followed  through, 
and  ten  days  from  the  date  of  receipt  of  the  cable  the  corn 
was  on  its  way  to  Madeira.  Again :  When,  shortly  after 
our  entrance  into  the  war,  the  Red  Cross  hurried  off  a 
Commission  to  relieve  the  crying  distress  in  Russia,  the  list 
of  commodities  included  a  large  quantity  of  drugs  and 
medicines.  There  was  another  case  where  the  ship  was 
due  to  sail.  Orders  were  telephoned  to  the  chemists  in 
Philadelpliia ;  the  supphes  loaded  on  motor-trucks  for  New 
York;  and  $300,000  worth  of  supphes  were  put  on  board 
in  forty-eight  hours. 

There  are  many  such  instances.  I  remember  that  at 
the  time  the  Palestine  Commission  was  getting  under  way, 
it  happened  that  sudden  demand  was  made  on  us  for  essential 
supphes  which  were  not  at  hand.  It  was  on  Friday  that 
the  requisition  came,  the  boat  was  due  to  sail  on  Sunday, 
and  the  shortage  was  not  definitely  discovered  until  late 
Saturday  afternoon.  But  all  this  mattered  httle  to  the 
people  at  the  Atlantic  Division  Headquarters  when  put  in 
charge  of  this  order.  In  a  jiffy  they  had  enlisted  the  service 
of  a  fleet  of  automobiles,  located  a  number  of  dealers, 
induced  them  to  open  up  their  establishments  on  Sunday 
morning,  and  when  the  ship  passed  Scotland  Light  every 
last  item  was  in  the  hold. 

Nominally,  a  dollar  is  worth  a  hundred  cents.  There 
were  many  obvious  reasons  for  making  the  Red  Cross 
dollar  worth  more  if  it  could  be  done,  and  not  the  least 
sound  reason  was  that  it  was  a  Red  Cross  dollar  and  was 
being  gladly  and  graciously  given  in  the  interest  of  mankind. 
So  when  the  markets  became  excited  in  the  latter  part  of 
May,  as  everyone  knows,  and  prices  rose  entirely  beyond 
reason,  the  purchasing  department  sought  to  protect  itself 
in  its  purchases ;  with  the  result  that  an  arrangement  was 
effected  with  the  War  Industries  Board  whereby  Red  Cross 


SUPPLIES  AND   TRANSPORTATION  115 

purchases  were  combined  with  those  made  for  the  War 
Department. 

With  the  talent  at  hand  and  the  spirit  of  helpful  co- 
operation everywhere  it  would  be  strange,  indeed,  if  there 
had  not  been  many  savings  made.  But  why  attempt  to 
recite  them.  It  must  not  be  overlooked,  either,  that  the 
various  departments  of  the  Government  extended  every 
faciUty,  which  resulted  in  the  saving  of  precious  time  and 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 

In  the  days  of  submarine  and  overtaxed  shipping,  it  had 
become  the  rule  to  forward  nothing  from  America  that  could 
be  bought  on  the  other  side.  When  this  plan  was  first 
considered  we  first  explored  the  French  market.  But, 
appalled  at  the  volume  of  red  tape  necessary  to  conform  to 
French  regulations,  we  turned  to  England.  That  Govern- 
ment solved  the  situation  by  putting  the  American  Red 
Cross  on  a  parity  with  the  British  Red  Cross.  The  Red 
Cross  dollar  went  up  in  value.  England  got  the  business  at 
a  reduced  margin  of  profit,  and  a  vast  amount  of  trans- 
Atlantic  cargo  space  was  saved  for  munitions  and  guns  and 
Army  supplies.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  during  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1918,  the  purchases  abroad  for  France,  Italy, 
Great  Britain,  and  Belgium  exceeded  in  value  the  purchases 
made  in  America  diu"ing  the  same  period  for  shipment  to 
Europe. 

We  come  now  to  the  Chapter  Supphes.  These  were 
small  troubles  to  the  Department  of  Supplies.  There  was 
a  Bureau  of  Stores  which  did  nothing  else  but  look  after 
the  supply  of  material  furnished  to  Chapters  and  the  avail- 
ability of  the  resultant  product  for  shipment.  Every 
woman  who  knitted  or  sewed  for  the  Red  Cross  knew  that 
the  whole  business  of  Chapter  production,  which  had  a 
bureau  all  its  own,  had  undergone  a  change  since  the  early 
days  of  1917,  when  every  patriotic  soul  in  the  Chapter  was 
buying  yarn  for  herself  and  nowhere  two  sweaters  looked 


116     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

alike.  Those  were  parlous  days !  If  there  were  three 
business  houses  in  a  Chapter  town  that  handled  wool  and 
none  had  a  sufficient  quantity  to  fill  a  Chapter  order,  all 
three  would  rush  a  call  into  the  New  York  market;  the 
demand  thus  ran  wild  and  the  market  was  fluctuating  and 
uncertain.  Then  the  War  Industries  Board  put  its  adjust- 
ing hand  on  the  wool  supply.  By  and  by,  through  a  studious 
process  of  coordination.  Chapter  production  was  put  on  a 
business  basis.  The  Bureau  of  Chapter  Production  pro- 
vided specifications  for  all  Chapter  production,  so  auto- 
matically definite  that  sick  soldiers  looked  like  twins  in 
hospital  garments  and  socks  were  always  mates.  There 
may  have  been  a  better  way  to  run  this  business,  but  no 
one  ever  found  it.  A  million  or  more  of  silvery-haired 
grandmothers  who  had  made  stockings  for  foiu-  generations 
had  to  change  their  method,  showing  that  it  is  never  too 
late  to  learn.  To  further  aid  in  adjusting  supply  to  demand, 
the  Bureau  of  Stores  was  formed.  The  value  of  Chapter 
effort,  always  great,  was  multiplied  many  fold.  It  was 
estimated  most  conservatively  at  anywhere  from  sixty  to 
a  hundred  million  dollars. 

The  principal  business  of  the  Bureau  of  Stores  was  inter- 
mediary. It  was  more  a  Bureau  of  Records,  limited  records, 
but  of  large  importance.  It  had  a  set  of  books,  —  one  for 
each  Division,  —  which  was  turned  in  from  the  Division 
monthly  and  in  which  were  set  down  the  demands  for 
material  for  articles  which  the  Bureau  of  Production  had 
allotted  for  manufacture;  against  the  totals  of  these  re- 
quirements the  Bureau  of  Stores  inscribed  its  stock  on  hand, 
and  thus  was  enabled  to  know  from  month  to  month  the 
state  of  its  supplies  by  Chapters,  which,  when  made  up  into 
finished  articles,  were  shipped  to  the  Division  Warehouses, 
where  they  awaited  demand.  It  was  a  very  simple  cog, 
but  it  kept  the  whole  system  of  Chapter  production  pro- 
tected against  lack  of  materials ;  and,  in  conjunction  with 


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SUPPLIES  AND   TRANSPORTATION  117 

the  Production  Bureau,  was  of  use  in  assuring  a  supply  of 
finished  goods  on  hand.  I  said  in  the  beginning  that  it 
required  purely  mechanical  processes  to  transmute  senti- 
ment into  relief.     This  is  an  intensified  illustration. 

When  the  market  goods  were  bought  and  the  Chapter 
goods  were  made  the  thing  was  to  get  them  to  the  people 
who  needed  them.  The  nationalization  of  the  Red  Cross 
has  been  a  great  aid  in  securing  for  it  every  possible  advan- 
tage in  ocean  tonnage.  The  Allied  Governments  had  been 
called  upon  to  give  space  for  Red  Cross  supplies  to  France, 
Italy,  England,  Russia  (Kola,  Archangel,  and  Vladivostok), 
Serbia,  Greece,  Switzerland  (for  American  prisoners,  Ser- 
bian prisoners,  and  the  Swiss  Commission),  Palestine,  Den- 
mark (for  American  prisoners).  Virgin  Islands,  Madeira, 
Guatemala,  Haiti,  and  Madagascar.  In  negotiating  for 
space  the  Bureau  of  Transportation  perfected  arrangements 
for  shipment  in  steamers  controlled  by  the  French  High 
Commission,  the  United  States  War  Department,  the 
British  Ministry  of  Shipping,  the  Italian  Ministry  of  Ship- 
ping, the  Greek  Legation,  the  Russian  Embassy,  the  United 
States  Shipping  Board,  and  the  Commercial  Steamship 
Lines.  The  Red  Cross  Ports  of  Export  were  New  York, 
Newport  News,  Norfolk,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  Boston, 
New  Orleans,  Montreal,  Seattle,  and  San  Francisco. 

Beginning  with  a  simple  organization  in  1917,  it  re- 
quired many  changes,  in  the  face  of  increasing  difficulties, 
to  perfect  the  present  system  of  transportation.  No 
smallest  item  that  could  contribute  to  increased  efficiency 
was  omitted,  nor  anything  that  would  reduce  by  the  smallest 
amount  the  cost  of  the  operation.  War  tax,  for  example, 
was  exempted  on  all  Government  freights.  The  Red  Cross 
appealed  to  the  Treasury  Department  for  similar  recognition 
on  the  ground  that  it  was  a  governmental  agency,  and  thereby 
secured  exemption  on  all  domestic  transportation.  It  did 
not  apply  to  foreign  shipments.     Revenue  tax  amounting  to 


118     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE    GREAT   WAR 

hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  was  also  omitted  on  soldiers' 
tobacco.  Under  private  ownership  it  was  the  custom  of  the 
railroads  to  extend  to  shippers  two  weeks'  credit  on  freight 
charges.  The  Railroad  Administration,  upon  taking  con- 
trol, cancelled  this  custom  but  exempted  Government  freight. 
The  Red  Cross  claimed  hke  exemption  and  the  administra- 
tion circulars  were  reissued  to  that  effect.  This  concession 
contributed  substantially  to  the  smooth  working  of  the  Red 
Cross  system.  It  enabled  the  Division  to  check  their 
goods  on  shortage  and  simplified  the  processes  of  claim 
and  recovery.  To  further  profit  in  this  direction,  the 
Bureau  of  Transportation  placed  a  traffic  man  in  each 
Division  and  Port  Warehouse  for  the  purpose  of  checking 
freight  and  express  bills,  claims  for  overcharge,  loss,  and 
damage  on  raw  materials  delivered  to,  and  finished  supplies 
received  from  the  Chapters,  as  well  as  suppHes  handled 
through  the  warehouse.  Each  Division  and  Port  Warehouse 
was  responsible  for  materials  received  and  shipped,  and 
made  its  own  recoveries.  Expense  bills  remained  in  the 
records  of  the  Division  and  Port  Warehouse  so  that  they 
might  be  available  for  use  in  prompt  presentation  of  claims 
to  common  carriers.  Many  of  these  fundamental  changes 
in  transportation  regulations  solved  embarrassing  problems 
in  the  actual  handling  of  material. 

At  first,  it  was  the  custom  of  the  division  warehouses,  and 
even  of  the  Chapters,  to  ship  to  New  York  export  warehouses 
small  quantities  of  articles  as  finished.  It  was  afterwards 
decided  that  no  Chapter  goods  should  be  shipped  unless  in 
carload  lots  and  without  first  obtaining  necessary  authority 
from  the  Bureau  of  Transportation  —  a  step  which  estab- 
lished control  of  the  movement  to  ports  of  embarkation, 
and  did  away  with  congestion,  demurrage,  and  many 
difficulties  in  the  adjustment  of  steamer  accommodation. 
Under  the  old  system  Chapter  goods  were  piled  into  New 
York  in  large  aggregate,  entaifing  heavy  operating  expenses, 


SUPPLIES   AND    TRANSPORTATION  119 

particularly  for  truck  delivery.  The  cartage  charge  alone 
at  New  York  City,  railroad  station  to  warehouse,  was  35 
cents  per  case.  This  was  eliminated.  The  congestion  in 
New  York  was  troublesome  until  arrangement  was  made 
with  the  Italian  Ministry  of  Shipping  to  transport  all  cases 
for  Italy  from  Baltimore. 

A  substantial  saving  was  effected  in  securing  short  hauls, 
as  will  be  shown  in  the  following  order  for  400  tons  of  rice 
for  Italy :  under  the  old  conditions  this  shipment  normally 
would  have  moved  from  the  port  of  New  York.  The  Food 
Administration  quoted  on  rice  delivered  in  New  York,  but 
the  rice  was  in  New  Orleans.  Through  the  Italian  Ministry 
of  Shipping,  the  Bureau  of  Transportation  secured  space 
in  a  vessel  clearing  from  New  Orleans,  and  thereby  saved 
freight  revenue  amounting  in  all  to  S4559,  based  on  all-rail 
rate  to  New  York  at  5Gi  cents  per  hundred  pounds. 

A  great  amount  of  material  which,  ordinarily,  might  have 
required  rail  transportation  to  the  eastern  seaboard  for 
export,  was  shipped  from  the  Pacific  coast  in  direct  vessels. 
Much  of  this  consisted  of  the  products  of  the  Chapters  in 
the  Northwestern  and  Pacific  Divisions.  The  Bureau 
secured  from  the  United  States  Shipping  Board  an  allotment 
of  seventy-five  weight  tons  per  vessel  in  the  new  merchant 
ships  which  were  being  constructed  on  the  Pacific  coast. 
The  vessels  from  Seattle,  Washington,  and  San  Francisco, 
California,  carried  to  France  flour  ground  out  of  Austrahan 
wheat ;  Pacific  salmon  and  dried  fruits  from  Cahfornia 
went  directly  overseas  in  the  same  way,  which  resulted  in 
a  saving  in  overland  freight  transportation  of  one  dollar  and 
fifty  cents  to  three  dollars  per  hundred  pounds. 

There  was  scarcely  an  angle  from  which  one  could  ap- 
proach the  purchase  and  transportation  of  Red  Cross  sup- 
plies to-day  without  finding  a  saving  in  money,  resultant 
from  business  efficiency  and  from  the  uniform  consideration 
shown  by  the  Allied  governments,  the  departments  of  our 


120     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

own  Government  and  commercial  interests  everywhere. 
An  interesting  showing  is  made  in  the  operation  of  the  Red 
Cross  export  warehouse,  even  at  the  busiest  ports.  The 
operation  report  of  the  Baltimore  export  warehouse  from 
April  1  to  September  30  revealed  a  satisfactory  economy 
in  the  handling  of  seaboard  traffic.  The  total  expense  in 
the  warehouse  for  this  period  —  including  warehouse  and 
office  rental,  demurrage,  cartage,  lighterage,  salaries,  labor, 
and  every  other  miscellaneous  expense  —  showed  a  total 
of  seventeen  thousand  and  some  odd  dollars.  There  were 
shipped  at  this  time  135,072  cases,  with  a  total  value  of 
$6,727,928;  the  total  weight  was  7996  tons.  The  cost 
of  handling  was  12f  cents  per  case,  and  by  the  ton  $2.17. 
This  ton  cost  —  every  ocean  shipper  will  confirm  this  — 
was  actually  lower  than  a  stevedore  company  would  contract 
for  the  warehousing  and  loading  or  unloading  of  any  vessel. 
The  low  cost  per  case  is  almost  extraordinary  when  it  is 
borne  in  mind  that  many  of  these  cases  were  five-ton 
trucks,  kitchen  trailers,  and  other  heavy  equipment  requir- 
ing steam  derricks  for  handling. 

The  New  York  export  warehouse  in  its  report  covering 
the  year  ending  June  30,  1918,  disclosed  an  increase  in 
shipments  handled  monthly  from  26  to  55 ;  and  an  increase 
in  packages  handled  from  43,000  to  48,000  per  month, 
but  the  cost  per  shipment  decreased  from  $1,655  to  $.508 
over  242  shipments ;  the  cost  per  package  from  $1  to  53 
cents;  the  cost  per  ton  from  $15.31  to  $9.06;  and  the  cost 
per  $1  value  declined  from  $.0373  to  $.0157. 

But  the  greatest  saving  in  all  the  business  of  transportation 
is  shown  in  the  record  of  free  space  accorded  to  the  Red 
Cross.  Before  the  Government  took  over  the  shipping 
lines  the  rates  for  ocean  transportation  appeared  to  have 
no  limit.  The  average  quotation  was  $110  a  cubic  ton,  and 
it  ran  from  that  rate  up  to  all  the  traffic  would  stand ; 
on  the  assumption  of  governmental  control  the  Red  Cross 


SUPPLIES   AND   TRANSPORTATION  121 

fixed  a  commercial  average  rate  value  of  $100  per  ton.  As 
the  total  shipments  from  April,  1917,  to  February  28,  1919, 
amounted  to  196,000  odd  tons,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  value 
of  this  space  ran  well  over  $19,000,000. 

The  problem  of  insurance  upon  these  tremendous  ship- 
ments of  Red  Cross  materials  was,  necessarily,  a  difficult 
one.  It  conformed  to  the  usual  business  practice  of  insuring 
shipments  at  sea  against  risks  of  war  and  marine  peril. 
The  greater  portion  of  the  war  risk  was  covered  by  the 
Government  War  Risk  Insurance,  and  the  balance  was 
offered  to  leading  insurance  companies  at  net  rates  and 
without  commission  to  any  one.  As  the  volume  of  Red 
Cross  shipments  increased,  it  became  possible  to  establish 
a  plan  of  partial  self-insm-ance  whereby  the  Red  Cross, 
guided  by  its  technical  insurance  advisers,  assumed  a  part 
of  the  war  risk  on  each  vessel.  Altogether  there  was  carried 
on  Red  Cross  shipments  $32,000,000  of  insurance,  of  which 
by  far  the  greatest  part  of  the  premium  was  war  risk.  Out 
of  $1,400,000  of  premium,  $1,200,000  was  on  insurance 
of  this  nature,  and  only  $200,000  on  marine  risk.  Chapter 
goods  were  insured  on  cost  of  material  only,  since  the  value 
of  the  labor  is  given  by  the  Chapter  workers. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   DISABLED    SOLDIER 

New  View  of  the  Disabled  —  The  Vocational  Rehabilitation  Law  — 
Cooperates  with  the  Department  of  Labor  —  Experience  of  European 
Countries  —  Five  Recognized  Forms  of  Disability  —  Places  Where 
Treatment  Is  Given  —  Cure  for  the  Mind  and  the  Will  —  Illustrated 
in  the  Reeducation  of  the  Blind  —  The  Keynote  in  Cure  —  Fields 
Open  to  the  Blind  —  Training  in  France  and  England  —  Red  Cross 
Institute  for  Crippled  and  Disabled  Men  —  Home  Service  in  Reedu- 
cation —  Treatment  of  the  Tuberculous  —  Institute  for  the  Blind  — 
Hospital  for  Shell-Shock  Patients  —  General  Resume. 

INJURED  men  have  been  an  inevitable  residuum  of 
wars  since  wars  began.  To  militant  rulers  of  old  they 
were  merely  an  item  in  the  wastage  and  were  left  to  fate 
and  their  own  powers  of  recuperation. 

The  aim  of  modern  science  and  of  sociology  is  not  only  to 
leave  nothing  undone  for  our  crippled  soldiers  that  will 
make  them  productive  members  of  society,  but  to  go  a  long 
step  further,  while  mending  their  bodies,  and  lift  them  forth- 
with out  of  the  ruck  of  dependency  and  give  them  standing 
as  co-equal  workers  in  the  working  world. 

It  would  be  at  once  foolish  and  insincere  to  pretend  that 
this  is  a  small  undertaking.  With  its  obstacles  and  its  in- 
evitable corollaries  it  presents  a  heroic  problem.  It  is  the 
unhappy  testimony  of  history  that  after  the  first  outburst 
of  emotional  gratitude  the  consideration  shown  to  crippled 
veterans  loses  grace  and  spontaneity.  The  madness  of 
popular  appreciation  - —  vocal  at  first  in  free-handed  proffers 

122 


THE   DISABLED   SOLDIER  123 

to  the  home-coming  soldier  —  dwindles  as  the  war  recedes 
and  the  concentration  of  business  intensifies. 

So  far  as  the  disabled  soldier  is  concerned  there  are  two 
principal  elements  involved  in  making  a  new  man  of  him : 
one  is  the  extent  to  which  surgical  science  and  reeducation 
can  restore  his  efficiency.  But  the  first  and  primary  essen- 
tial is  the  will  of  the  man  to  profit  by  his  assistance,  his 
ambition,  his  desire  to  be  a  doer  rather  than  a  dependent. 
We  must  season  our  gratitude  to  the  wounded  soldier  with 
common  sense,  that  it  may  not  evaporate  in  the  violence 
of  its  initial  warmth.  If  we  treat  this  wounded  soldier  like 
a  man  and  a  brother  he  will  be  one  —  for  he  has  proved  his 
quahty. 

People  ''by-and-large"  will  scarcely  credit  the  advance 
that  has  been  made  physically  in  the  restoration  of  the  dis- 
abled and  their  refitment  for  work.  In  order  that  every 
use  may  be  made  of  the  world's  learning  and  invention  in 
this  field,  and  that  the  work  may  be  pursued  to  its  conclusion 
without  interference,  Congress  enacted,  and  the  President 
approved,  the  Vocational  Rehabilitation  Law,  embodying  a 
national  plan  which  provided  not  only  for  the  reduction  of 
a  man's  disability  to  its  owest  terms  by  surgical  and  medical 
treatment,  but,  also,  when  this  shall  have  been  accomplished, 
to  furnish  him  with  the  most  perfect  artificial  limbs  and 
appliances  obtainable  to  render  his  injury  in  some  degree 
inconspicuous,  but  primarily  to  restore  locomotion  and 
manual  ability. 

Upon  this  follows  reeducation  to  whatever  extent  may  be 
necessary  to  assure  substantial  earning  power  and,  finall}^, 
the  procurement  of  employment  for  him  in  the  trade  or  busi- 
ness for  which  he  has  been  equipped.  Wise  provision  has 
been  made  in  the  law  that  this  acquirement  of  profitable 
occupation  shall  not  reduce  his  pension,  but  shall  supplement 
it  to  an  extent  which  will  enable  him  to  live  on  a  parity  of 
comfort  with  other  men  pursuing  similar  lines  of  industry. 


124    THE  AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

In  charging  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education 
with  the  mobilization  of  resources  for  all  necessary  courses  of 
training,  the  Government  places  at  its  disposal  all  the 
employment  facilities  of  the  Department  of  Labor.  It  is 
intended  and  provided  that  there  shall  be  complete  coopera- 
tion between  the  Army  and  Navy  Medical  Boards  and  all 
other  departments  that  in  any  way  contribute  to  the  plan ; 
that  the  work,  curative  and  educational,  be  so  coordinated 
and  combined  that  rehabilitation  shall  constitute  one  un- 
interrupted process,  beginning  in  the  base  hospital  and 
ending  only  when  the  disabled  men,  restored,  equipped,  and 
trained  to  the  point  of  industrial  efficiency,  shall  be  definitely 
and  permanently  placed  in  lucrative  employment.  The  up- 
coming generation  will  not  see  so  much  of  the  paupered 
veteran  soldier,  forced  by  his  disability  to  depend  on  a 
precarious  and  ever  diminishing  charity,  all  too  thinly  veiled 
by  the  purchase  of  lead  pencils  on  a  street  corner. 

In  making  large  provision  for  this  work,  the  Government 
took  lesson  from  the  experience  of  European  countries. 
Plans  are  already  under  way  for  the  creation  of  large  centers, 
specially  located,  designed,  and  equipped  to  meet  the 
problem. 

The  schedules  contemplate,  with  some  latitude  for  com- 
plications and  minor  variations,  five  general  forms  of  dis- 
ability :  (1)  Surgical,  involving  primarily  the  loss  of  one 
or  more  limbs;  (2)  Blind;  (3)  Shell-shock,  including  the 
various  phases  of  psychoneurosis ;  (4)  Tubercular;  (5) 
Deaf.  In  the  reception  hospitals  at  ports  of  debarkation, 
the  men  were  classified  and  distributed  to  various  general 
hospitals  where  provision  had  been  made  for  specific  treat- 
ment, surgical,  medical,  and  occupational.  The  following 
institutions  have  been  designated  and  equipped:  General 
Hospital  No.  2,  Fort  McHenry,  Maryland ;  General  Hospi- 
tal No.  3,  Colonia,  New  Jersey ;  General  Hospital  No.  4, 
Fort  Porter,   New  York;    General  Hospital  No.   6,   Fort 


THE    DISABLED   SOLDIER  125 

McPherson,  Georgia ;  General  Hospital  No.  7,  Roland  Park, 
Baltimore,  Maryland;  General  Hospital  No.  8,  Otisville, 
New  York ;  General  Hospital  No.  9,  Lakewood,  New  Jersey  ; 
General  Hospital  No.  11,  Cape  May,  New  Jersey;  General 
Hospital  No.  16,  New  Haven,  Connecticut;  General  Hos- 
pital No.  17,  Markleton,  Pennsylvania;  General  Hospital 
No.  19,  Azalea,  North  Carolina;  United  States  Hospital, 
Waynesville,  North  Carolina;  Army  and  Navy  General 
Hospital,  Hot  Springs,  Arkansas ;  Walter  Reed  General 
Hospital,  Takoma  Park,  Washington,  D.C. ;  Letterman 
General  Hospital,  San  Francisco,  California ;  Fort  Bayard, 
New  Mexico ;  Plattsburg  Barracks,  Plattsbm-g,  New  York ; 
St.  Ehzabeth's  Hospital,  Washington,  D.C. ;  Whipple  Bar- 
racks, Arizona. 

The  estabUshments  at  Fort  McHenry,  Colonia,  Lakewood, 
Walter  Reed,  Letterman,  Fort  McPherson,  and  Hot  Springs 
are  for  general  reconstruction.  Blind  cases  in  which  surgery 
is  required  are  treated  at  Cape  May,  but  all  reeducational 
work  with  the  blind  is  carried  on  at  Roland  Park,  Baltimore. 
Otisville,  New  York ;  New  Haven,  Connecticut ;  Markle- 
ton, Pennsylvania ;  Waynesville,  North  Carolina ;  Fort 
Bayard,  New  Mexico ;  and  Whipple  Barracks,  Arizona, 
are  reserved  for  the  tuberculous.  Deafness  is  treated  at 
Cape  May,  and  insane  cases  are  taken  to  Fort  Porter, 
Plattsburg  Barracks,  and  St.  Elizabeth's,  Washington. 
The  Indian  School  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  has  also  been 
made  available  for  reconstruction  work. 

It  was  the  custom  in  former  times  to  discharge  immediately 
from  the  Army  all  men  who  developed  chronic  disease  or 
physical  disability.  At  present,  under  the  War  Depart- 
ment's ruling,  no  member  of  the  service  disabled  in  the  line 
of  duty  will  be  discharged  until  he  has  attained  the  fullest 
measure  of  recovery  possible. 

In  the  treatment  of  these  forms  of  disability  there  is  in- 
volved a  wide  range  of  medical  and  surgical  skill.     The 


126    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

infinite  complexities  of  physical  derangement  tax  to  their 
last  resource  the  ingenuity  of  physicians  and  surgeons ;  they 
bring  into  service  the  latest  fruits  of  scientific  development 
and  research.  But  in  one  sense  all  are  alike.  Their  success- 
ful management,  the  attainment  of  right  results  in  the  end, 
had  a  common  basis  and  background  —  the  mind  and  will  of 
the  patient.  The  victim  of  war,  from  the  moment  his  life 
is  assured,  becomes  the  object  of  care  and  attention  with  a 
view  to  making  him  useful  to  the  world  he  lives  in. 

A  perfect  illustration  is  the  man  blinded,  from  whatever 
cause.  If  in  the  first  stage  of  hospital  treatment  it  is  thought 
possible  that  his  vision  will  be  permanently  lost,  the  work  of 
reeducation  begins  without  his  knowledge.  From  that 
time  on,  —  even  while  he  is  yet  ignorant  of  the  truth,  —  the 
doctors  are  ''teaching  him  to  be  blind."  While  his  eyes  are 
still  covered  with  an  unnecessary  bandage,  perhaps,  he  is 
taught  to  do  for  himself  things  that  the  blind  do,  such  as 
shaving  and  finding  his  own  way  about.  It  is  one  of  the 
everlasting  marvels  of  life  that  dormant  nerves  and  muscles 
and  brain  cells,  waked  by  necessity,  learn  in  so  short  a 
space  to  do  their  work.  By  the  time  the  blinded  man  dis- 
covers the  truth  the  crushing  force  of  the  blow  has  been 
broken.  From  that  point  onward,  —  on  the  journey  home 
and  at  every  stage  he  must  pass  before  the  last  hope  of  saving 
his  sight  is  abandoned,  —  he,  unconsciously,  is  being  trained 
in  the  rudimentary  lessons  of  blindness. 

With  other  forms  of  injury  the  same  general  theory  is 
pursued,  though  perforce  more  slowly  and  in  less  degree. 
But  back  of  all  the  physical  problems  still  stands  the  mental 
one.  In  the  first  days,  weeks,  or  months  after  realization, 
there  comes  the  hard,  incessant  fight  against  depression, 
discouragement,  relaxation  of  hope.  The  winning  of  this 
battle  is  the  most  vital  factor  in  the  work  of  reconstruction, 
in  the  remaking  of  the  man's  life.  This  mental  infection  of 
despair  is  the  malady  that  requires  most  skillful  medicine. 


THE    DISABLED   SOLDIER  127 

and  that  if  uncured  may  make  all  the  drugs  and  surgery  of 
no  avail. 

It  is  a  labor  requiring  infinite  patience  and  tact  and  most 
delicate  intuitions.  But  it  can  be  done.  The  keynote  of 
the  majority  of  cases  has  without  doubt  been  struck  in  a 
letter  written  by  a  teacher,  himself  a  cripple,  to  the  Surgeon 
General :  — 

"You  must,"  he  says,  "not  only  fit  a  man  to  become  a  wage-earner,  but 
fully  as  important,  you  must  fit  him  to  enjoy  the  wages  he  has  earned 
with  his  fellows.  .  .  .  Unless  you  prove  to  the  cripple  that  there  is  joy 
ahead,  you  cannot  help  him.  .  .  .  When  a  man  is  wounded  and  crippled 
the  reahzation  of  the  crippling  comes  upon  him  at  a  time  when  the  nervous 
system  is  least  able  to  bear  the  additional  shock  which  the  realization 
brings.  .  .  .  The  mental  suffering  is  very  acute,  though  the  doctors  and 
niu-ses  may  not  know  of  it.  .  .  .  Couple  with  a  shattered  nervous  system 
weeks  of  inactivity,  with  the  idea  of  helplessness,  with  the  idea  of  life  ab- 
normal, outside  the  pleasures  of  the  world  ;  it  is  wonderful  that  all  cripples 
are  not  helpless.  You  must  kill  the  idea  of  helplessness  almost  as  soon  as 
it  is  born,  for  in  a  few  weeks  it  becomes  very  strong.  You  must  show 
moving  pictures  of  men  who  are  crippled  enjoying  themselves  in  normal 
ways,  dancing,  skating,  paddling  a  canoe,  s^\dmming,  playing  billiards,  and 
hundreds  of  things  they  cannot  or  do  not  know  about.  I  could  multiply 
these  things  a  thousandfold,  things  which  you  would  refuse  to  believe. 
But  they  must  be  'put  across'  to  the  men  early,  and  it  must  be  done  by 
men  who  have  had  experience  first  hand." 

An  industrial  engineer  in  the  Government  employ,  whose 
business  it  is  to  make  surveys  for  the  purpose  of  finding  fields 
open  to  the  blind,  states  as  a  result  of  tests  and  investigations 
that  approximately  three  per  cent  of  the  manufacturing 
industries  involve  work  which  blind  men  can  do  satisfactorily. 
It  has,  in  fact,  been  found  that  in  some  branches  of  work  blind 
men  are  more  efficient  by  reason  of  their  closer  concentration 
and  that  the  sense  of  touch,  when  developed  to  requisite 
nicety,  is  often  more  alert  and  more  discriminating  than 
sight. 

Fortunately  for  the  work  of  reeducation  in  this  country, 
France  and  England  faced  the  problem  before  us.     In  their 


128     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

experience  the  perfection  of  mechanical  arms  with  a  "chuck " 
for  holding  work  or  tools  has  opened  to  armless  men  occu- 
pations in  which  they  would  at  first  sight  have  been  ac- 
counted helpless.  One-armed  men,  and  even  blind  men, 
develop  incredible  skill  in  the  operation  of  a  typewriter 
from  dictaphones,  the  shift  key  being  worked  by  pedal. 
The  running  of  lathes,  agricultural  tractors,  drills,  and 
other  machinery,  carpentry,  tool  making,  the  manufacture 
of  surgical  instruments  and  tools  of  precision,  watch-making, 
telegraphy,  photography,  typesetting  —  all  these  have  been 
found  possible.  At  the  Ecole  Joffre,  near  Lyons,  which  the 
French  established  early  in  the  war,  accounting  and  com- 
mercial work  are  taught,  also  toy  making,  bookbinding, 
shoemaking,  mechanical  drafting,  woodwork,  tailoring, 
wood  carving,  gardening,  and  machine  tool  work.  It  has 
been  found  here  that  industrial  drafting  and  design  attract 
the  greatest  number  of  pupils.  The  National  Institute  in 
Paris  teaches  tailoring,  shoe  and  harness  making,  tinsmith- 
ing,  cabinet  work,  accounting,  and  the  operation  and  repair 
of  farm  machinery. 

Both  in  England  and  France  there  is  a  decided  trend  among 
the  disabled  men  toward  agricultural  pursuits,  particularly 
the  raising  of  poultry.  It  is  the  aim  of  the  reeducators  in 
America  to  fit  many  men  for  agricultural  life  in  some  form. 
English  schools  teach  carpentry  and  cabinet  making,  carving 
and  gilding,  frame,  toy,  and  basket  making,  metal  work, 
building  and  construction,  decorating  and  electrical  fitting. 
At  Roehampton  and  Brighton  are  the  greatest  centers  of 
training  for  the  amputation  cases.  It  is  found  that  both  in 
England  and  France  the  disabled  men  have  proved  expert 
in  the  making  of  artificial  hmbs.  This  is  a  specialty  in  this 
country,  which  produces  the  best  apphances  of  this  sort. 

In  anticipation  of  the  task  which  lay  ahead,  the  Red  Cross 
estabhshed  in  1917,  with  funds  made  available  by  gift,  the 
Red  Cross  Institute  for  Crippled  and  Disabled  Men,  in 


THE   DISABLED   SOLDIER  129 

New  York  City.  The  purposes  of  the  Institute  are  chiefly 
experimental  and  in  the  hne  of  surveys.  It  has  compiled 
and  repubUshed  papers  setting  forth  the  results  of  the  best 
reeducational  work  in  Europe ;  it  has  made  a  census  of  the 
cripples  resident  in  New  York  City,  with  records  of  their 
accompUshment  in  various  occupations;  and  it  has  begun 
experiments  in  vocational  training  in  a  large  number  of 
trades  to  determine  what  the  cripple  may  derive  from  them. 
Teams  of  disabled  persons,  thoroughly  trained,  are  put  at 
work  side  by  side  with  the  sound  to  determine  their  relative 
capabilities.  In  some  lines  of  work,  the  cripple  has  proved 
the  better  of  the  two.  It  is  essential  that  after  the  class- 
room work  is  advanced  the  beginner  in  a  new  trade  should 
have  experience  in  shop  practice,  and  in  securing  such  faciU- 
ties  from  employers  these  surveys  will  be  of  service. 

In  selecting  a  trade  for  the  disabled  man  the  most  thorough 
search  is  made  into  his  past  history,  his  business  or  industrial 
record,  his  home  life,  into  every  detail,  in  fact,  which  may 
have  weight  in  the  planning  of  his  future.  It  is  desired, 
wherever  possible,  to  return  the  man  to  his  own  town  and 
to  his  own  home  and  to  select  for  him  some  branch  of  industry 
in  which  the  place  affords  employment  and  a  promise  of 
permanence.  The  conditions  of  the  home,  its  atmosphere, 
the  mental  attitude  of  members  of  the  family  and  neighbors, 
the  opportunity  extended  for  further  study  and  for  helpful 
social  relations  are  of  the  utmost  importance  as  bearing  on 
the  encouragement  which  is  so  necessary  to  him.  In  all 
these  hues  of  investigation,  in  preparing  a  man's  family  to 
be  a  help  rather  than  a  hindrance  to  him,  the  Red  Cross 
Home  Service  is  organized  and  equipped,  by  the  very  nature 
of  its  mission,  to  carry  on  a  wide  and  helpful  work.  In 
looking  after  the  welfare  of  the  soldier's  family  it  has 
established  a  relation  with  them  as  it  has  with  the  soldier 
himself  during  his  training  and  transportation,  at  the  front 
and  on  the  way  home,  which  makes  for  confidence  and  trust. 


130     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

In  what  reeducators  call  ''follow-up  work,"  —  seeing  the 
man  well  along  on  his  new  adventure  in  life  and  giving  him  a 
Uft  when  he  needs  it,  —  the  Red  Cross,  represented  every- 
where as  it  is  by  the  Chapters,  is  "on  the  ground"  the  whole 
country  over.  It  saw  the  soldier  off  and  it  welcomed  him 
home.     It  is  merely  sticking  by  him  now. 

The  records  thus  far  available  indicate  that  the  wounded, 
and  especially  those  who  have  lost  hmbs,  are  in  relatively 
small  proportion  of  the  total  number  engaged,  and  the  bhnd, 
even  a  smaller  number.  Medical  cases  outnumber  the  sur- 
gical, while  tuberculosis  is  chargeable  with  a  particularly 
large  share  of  the  discharges.  Fortunately,  the  United 
States  had  developed  before  the  war  thorough  practice  in 
the  treatment  of  tuberculosis ;  and  in  planning  its  work  for 
returning  soldiers  the  Government  has  made  preparation  for 
them.  There  were  nearly  six  thousand  beds  available  in  the 
hospitals  already  set  aside  for  tuberculous  patients.  The 
function  of  the  Red  Cross  in  this  work  was  to  prevent,  through 
its  connection  with  the  famihes  of  soldiers,  the  withdrawal  of 
the  man  from  treatment  before  his  restoration  should  be 
complete  and  he  cease  to  be  a  menace  to  the  well-being  of 
others. 

As  an  aid  to  the  work  of  the  blind,  the  Red  Cross  has 
estabUshed  in  Baltimore  an  Institute  for  the  Blind,  of  which 
the  medical  officer  responsible  for  the  Army  program  for  the 
blind  is  the  director.  The  institution  is  situated  con- 
veniently near  to  the  General  Hospital.  It  provided 
quarters  for  the  relatives  of  soldiers  who  come  to  visit  the 
hospital.  In  this,  and  in  furnishing  transportation  for  such 
relatives  where  necessary,  it  is  helping  to  overcome  the  first 
and,  perhaps,  the  most  serious  obstacle  to  reeducation,  —  the 
listlessness  or  discouragement  of  the  men  themselves. 

Of  all  the  American  soldiers  returned  from  France,  it  is 
recorded  that  twenty-five  per  cent  are  suffering  from  some 
phase  of  "shell-shock"  or  nervous  disorder.     The  treatment 


THE   DISABLED   SOLDIER  131 

of  these,  in  many  cases,  is  extremely  difficult  and  requires 
time,  patience,  and  extensive  equipment  of  appliances  for 
electric  treatment,  baths,  etc.  The  special  center  for  these 
cases  is  the  hospital  at  Plattsburg  Barracks,  which  includes 
in  its  personnel  only  those  who  have  had  to  do  with  treat- 
ment and  care  of  similar  cases  in  civilian  life. 

Medical  authorities  estimate  from  the  British  Army 
records  that  the  great  majority  of  all  men  discharged  will 
return  to  civil  fife  with  but  little  more  need  for  medical  care 
than  might  be  expected  in  the  case  of  a  man  of  somewhat 
more  advanced  age  in  ordinary  surroundings ;  but  for  the 
"disabled,"  the  provision  that  is  being  made  is  broad  and 
hberal,  in  the  highest  degree  human  and  kindly,  and  governed 
by  intelhgent  counsels.  If  understood  and  wisely  availed 
of  by  the  men  for  whose  benefit  it  is  devised,  a  great  part 
of  the  poverty,  demoralization,  and  unhappiness  which,  in 
other  times,  have  followed  long  in  the  wake  of  war,  will  have 
been  done  away  with  and  comfort  and  contentment  exist  in 
Uves  which,  at  first,  may  seem  to  have  been  utterly  blighted. 


PART  II 
CHAPTER  XI 

ON  THE   BATTLE  FRONT 

Workers  at  Every  Point  in  the  Red  Gross  Service  to  the  American  Soldier 

—  A  Gap  in  the  Gontinuity  of  This  Service  —  Gooperation  with  the 
Army  Medical  Gorps  —  Research  Bureau  Maintained  —  Work  of 
Gommunication  Bureau  —  Picture  of  a  Ganteen  —  Rest  Stations  — 
Girl  Heroes  —  Mobility  of  Red  Gross  Formations  —  The  Narrative 
of  Gompiegne  —  The  Hospital  at  Annel  —  The  Rolling  Ganteen  — 
Extract  from  The  Washington  Post  —  The  Ambulance  Drivers  — 
Ambulance  Sections  Absorbed  in  the  Army  Medical  Gorps  —  Hos- 
pital Service  in  the  Army  —  Appropriation  for  Ravi  Taillement  Serv- 
ice —  Hospital  Supply  Service  —  Fifty  Base  Hospitals  Furnished 
to  the  Army  —  Examples  of  Special  Efficiency  —  Scientific  Triumphs 

—  The  Gause  of  Trench  Fever  Discovered  —  Diversions  in  Hospitals 

—  Gomforts  Furnished  —  Letter  Writing  for  the  Boys  —  American 
Wounded  in  French  Hospitals  —  Searchers  for  the  Bureau  of  Gom- 
munication —  Searchers  and  Help  for  Prisoners  —  Gare  for  the 
Dying  and  Dead. 

THE  hugeness  of  the  war  and  the  detailed  awfulness  of 
it  will  never  be  told.  For  those,  like  myself,  who 
touched  the  edges  of  it,  there  can,  of  course,  be  no  telling 
of  it  save  that  each  recite  his  vision  of  the  little  fragment 
that  was  his  lot  to  see.  It  is  written  in  the  Book  of  Ages, 
and  military  science  will  analyze  its  strategy,  but  before  the 
tragedy  in  its  entirety  can  ever  be  fixed  in  human  record 
the  waters  of  God-forgiven-forgetfulness  will  have  washed 
away  a  great  part  of  it. 

It  is  better  that  it  is  so.    The  hope  of  mankind  lies  in  the 

132 


ON   THE   BATTLEFRONT  133 

revelation  of  inborn  human  kindness ;  the  task  of  mankind 
is  to  heal  the  scars  that  the  war  has  left.  Fortunately,  as 
the  horror  has  grown  so  has  grown  the  unremitting  cry  of 
sympathy  and  pity.  And  certain  it  is  that  men  of  vision 
have  never  ceased  to  believe  that  the  world  will  be  saved 
and  that  hope's  patient  litany  will  save  it. 

For  the  soldier,  the  Red  Cross  had  workers  in  the  field 
at  every  point  where  they  could  by  any  chance  serve  him : 
at  the  port  where  he  landed,  in  the  stations  through  which 
he  passed  on  his  way  to  camp,  at  the  camp  itself,  at  the 
stations  between  the  camp  and  the  trenches,  and,  finally,  at 
the  very  front.  The  canteen  convoyers  brought  up  supphes 
of  hot  food  for  him  despite  the  weather,  shells,  or  gas. 
They  were  ready  through  the  cold,  rainy  night  to  comfort 
him ;  while  a  little  back  from  the  lines  was  the  canteen  where 
he  could  wash  off  the  mud  in  which  he  might  have  been 
standing  for  nights,  where  his  clothes  could  be  disinfected, 
and  where  he  could  sleep  if  he  had  a  few  hours  to  wait.  In 
short,  it  was  our  intention  that  the  soldier  should  never  be 
without  anything  that  could  express  the  appreciation  of  his 
country  and  lessen  his  sacrifice.  Unfortunately,  however, 
in  a  war  that  has  to  be  told  in  fragments,  it  was  all  too  easy, 
as  will  be  seen  presently,  for  gaps  to  appear  in  the  continuity 
of  this  service. 

^'It  is  absurd,"  said  a  French  soldier  who  had  just  come 
out  of  the  trenches,  "to  talk  about  Red  Cross  work.  It 
has  not  existed.  .  .  .  How  could  it?  A  few  litter  carriers 
went  with  us  on  some  of  our  expeditions  but  they  were  soon 
shot  down.  ..." 

For  the  wounded  the  Array  Medical  Corps  provided  the 
best  and  quickest  care.  Alacrity  in  this  department  was 
the  essence  of  effectiveness.  An  hour  might  have  meant  the 
difference  between  life  and  death.  That  hour  was  saved  by 
mounting  on  wheels  everything  conceivable  so  that  the 
wounded  might  be  met  at  the  nearest  possible  point.     The 


134     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Red  Cross  contributed  ambulances  with  operating  equip- 
ments, dental  operating  rooms,  ophthalmological  ambu- 
lances, plants  to  make  ice  to  pack  head  wounds,  heating 
plants,  and  disinfecting  plants.  In  the  American  Medical 
service  there  was  surgical  skill  that  is  not  surpassed  in  the 
world ;  and  to  supplement  the  medical  work  the  Red  Cross, 
with  Army  cooperation,  maintained  a  research  bureau,  the 
value  of  which  has  been  recognized  by  all  medical  authorities. 
For  operations  there  was  a  plant  manufacturing  nitrous 
oxide  gas  which,  otherwise,  could  only  be  obtained  in  France 
after  long  delay.  There  were  shops  to  manufacture  artificial 
limbs;  there  was  a  department  —  the  Comimunication 
Bureau  —  which  searched  for  the  missing  man  and  gave  his 
family  news  concerning  him  and  which,  like  the  Home 
Service  in  the  home  camps,  straightened  out  a  thousand 
tangles  and  did  a  multitude  of  things  that  were  seldom 
twice  alike. 

All  the  permanent  or  semi-permanent  Red  Cross  plants 
in  France,  —  following  the  practice  of  the  Army,  —  were 
built  and  equipped  for  future  requirements.  The  French 
onlookers  had  a  thought  in  reserve  when  they  saw  the  prep- 
arations that  were  being  made  for  debarkation  of  the 
American  armies  —  the  unconscionably  huge  buildings,  the 
ponderous  railroad  equipment  and  hundreds  of  miles  of 
rails;  they  looked  dubiously,  too,  at  the  preparations  of 
the  Red  Cross  and  wondered  if  the  finished  fabrics  of  ac- 
complishment would  ever  fit  their  vast  foundations.  But 
within  eighteen  months  they  saw  two  million  soldiers  walk 
off  these  same  docks  and  move  forward  promptly  to  business 
over  the  iron  pathways ;  they  saw  incalculable  stores  of 
everything  under  the  sun  following  in  uninterrupted  proces- 
sion, food  and  raiment,  engineering  supplies  and  building 
material,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  war. 

A  well-known  Liberty  Loan  speaker  upon  returning  from 
France,  referring  to  the  big  line  of  stations,  said :  — 


ON   THE    BATTLEFRONT  135 

"I  didn't  know  what  a  canteen  was  like.  I  didn't  know  whether  you 
rolled  it  or  kept  it  back  in  the  kitchen  somewhere ;  but  here  is  what  it's 
like  :  if  you  took  one  of  those  piers  in  the  North  River  that  you  tie  a  big 
steamship  up  to  and  converted  it  into  a  business  enterprise  to  rest  and 
feed  and  sleep  and  wash  people,  that  is  about  the  size  of  the  proposition. 
The  kitchen  came  first  —  a  huge  room  full  of  caldrons  and  chopping 
blocks  and  meats  and  tilings  —  and  next  was  a  lunch-counter  affair  with 
some  tables  where  they  could  probably  feed  five  hundred  at  a  clip.  Next 
was  the  living  room  where  the  soldiers  could  throw  off  the  accouterments 
of  war  and  rest  themselves  and  write  letters.  Outside  they  had  some 
very  pretty  gardens  which  had  been  decorated  by  the  camouflage  artists 
of  France.  Next  came  a  large  theater, — mostly  moving  pictures,  —  I 
was  told,  but  occasionally  the  men  got  up  entertainments  of  their  own. 
Next  came  a  place  where  I  suppose  2500  men  could  sleep,  and  they  had 
baths  and  ways  to  make  their  clothes  sanitary  and  things  of  that  kind, 
aU  very  essential. 

"The  women  workers  in  this  same  outfit  are  entitled  to  some  kind  of  a 
memorial,  if  it  is  notliing  more  than  in  our  hearts  and  minds.  They  are 
doing  a  wonderful  work.  There  is  a  group  of  women  over  here  taking 
care  of  about  seven  or  eight  thousand  soldiers  every  day.  It  is  at  a  rail- 
road center  where  they  transfer  off  the  trains  and  are  redistributed. 
That  thing  is  done  twenty-four  hours  a  day  in  three  sliifts  of  eight  hours." 

The  American  soldier  interpreted  ''Rest  Station"  — 
with  its  subtle  and  more  or  less  elusive  course  dietary  of 
the  French  —  as  something  more  or  less  like  home  and 
the  good  old  dishes  of  childhood.  Home,  therefore,  became 
the  keynote  in  all  the  buildings  and  furnishings  of  the  Red 
Cross  way-stations  on  the  road  to  war.  There  was  the  home 
flavor  in  the  seasoning  of  the  food,  and  a  home  atmosphere 
in  the  chintzes  and  various  commodities  at  hand,  such  as 
soap,  towels,  reading  matter,  and  phonograph  records.  The 
facihties  which  the  Rest  Stations  afforded  for  writing 
letters  back  home  made  the  censor  of  one  section,  who  had 
to  handle  them,  old  before  his  time,  and  brought  forth  a 
plaintive,  if  humerous,  protest  against  the  stimulation  of 
correspondence. 

It  was  not  easy  work  that  these  women  did.  As  a  matter 
of  truth  it  involved  the  hardest  kind  of  physical  labor. 


136     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Moreover,  they  were  accomplishing  unconsciously,  perhaps, 
what  even  they  did  not  realize  at  the  time  —  the  keeping 
uppermost  in  his  mind  the  home  idea  of  women. 

Thus,  until  the  day  came  when  the  trains  of  wounded 
began  rolling  back  to  the  coast,  the  soldier's  journey  was  not 
such  a  bad  journey,  after  all.  And  when  he  got  within  sound 
of  the  trouble  he  was  clean  and  fit.  That  was  what  the  Red 
Cross  aimed  to  make  him. 

The  war  has  brought  to  light  many  heroic  deeds.  How- 
ever, not  all  heroes  were  men  :  there  are  girls  who  went  out 
in  all  humility  to  lend  what  help  they  could  in  the  service 
of  the  Red  Cross  canteens  and  who  came  home  with  the 
Croix  de  Guerre;  there  are  girls  who  stayed  at  their  posts 
of  duty  in  the  canteens  while  the  soldiers  were  at  the  front 
and  when  the  windows  of  their  huts  cracked  from  shellfire, 
and  the  roof  fell  in  pieces  —  stayed  through  nights  of  tumult 
and  danger  where  their  lives  were  worth  scarce  a  penny 
whistle ;  and,  again,  when  on  the  jammed  roadways  in  the 
great  advance,  where  the  crowding  thousands  of  troops 
were  choked  and  stayed  by  ambulances  and  trucks  with  their 
hundreds  of  wounded,  these  Red  Cross  girls  were  there  to 
help  dislodge  the  tangle  so  that  the  great  currents  could 
flow  normally  on  their  way.  This,  surely,  was  getting  into 
the  road  and  makeshift  of  war. 

"We  feed  4000  or  5000  soldiers  a  day,  and  our  canteen  is  never  closed," 
wrote  a  Red  Cross  canteen  girl.  "All  of  our  boys  on  this  line  of  communi- 
cation stop  and  rest  and  have  meals  and  refreshments.  After  every  battle 
and  at  intervals  we  see  them  coming  back.  Over  1500  came  in  lately  and 
practically  none  had  ever  had  first-aid  service.  Blood-soaked,  weary,  but 
oh,  how  brave  !  With  shell-wounds  and  bayonet-wounds,  they  will  tell 
you  quickly,  *I  can  wait,  look  after  Jim,  here.'" 

It  was  a  long  hard  grind  with  existence  always  in  the 
balance  and  with  no  rest  or  change  other  than  the  precipitate 
retreat  or  advance  as  ground  was  lost  or  gained.  The 
pictures  did  not  vary  except  in  minor  details  and  in  intensity. 


ON   THE   BATTLEFRONT  137 

The  canteens  were  located  in  all  sorts  of  places, — any  shelter, 
almost,  that  would  keep  out  the  rain,  served  the  purpose, — 
but  the  vital  creature  comforts  were  there.  The  worn,  mud- 
marked,  often  bloody  faces  of  war-weary  men  swarmed  in 
out  of  the  night.  There  was  no  light  save  candles  or  a 
guttering  lamp.  They  did  not  eat,  —  they  fed,  gulping 
the  hot  coffee,  munching  ravenously.  They  were  spent, 
but  the  urge  and  rush  of  battle  was  still  on  them.  The 
great  guns  punctuated  the  talk  and  the  clatter ;  there  was 
the  sibilant  half-moaning  whistle  of  the  German  shells  and 
the  muffled  roar  of  their  breaking;  one  had  the  sense  of 
being  depersonalized,  or  the  dual  feeling  that  comes  of 
hasheesh.  And  yet,  for  all  its  awful  reality  and  nearness,  it 
seemed  like  a  dream.  The  last  exchanging  columns  having 
passed  away  into  the  night  the  canteeners  slept  —  these 
men  of  varying  age  and  calling  who,  with  gray  in  their 
hair  but  with  youth's  dreams  still  weaving  in  their  hearts, 
were  keeping  Mercy's  outposts  on  the  borderland  of  doom. 
And  the  evening  and  the  morning  were  another  day  with  a 
flight  to  the  cellar  when  an  air-raid  began  or  when  the 
rangefinder  picked  up  the  little  area  where  the  canteen 
was  situated. 

In  times  of  violent  action,  when  the  lines  changed  under 
the  weight  of  new  forces,  the  mobility  of  these  Red  Cross 
formations  was  invaluable.  In  the  broken  chronicles  of  the 
great  German  drive  in  1918,  there  were  thrilling  stories  of 
the  quick  shifts  made  by  hospital  and  canteen  workers :  a 
sudden  gathering  of  food  and  equipment,  of  medicines  and 
instruments,  and  that  heaviest  of  all  known  impedimenta,  the 
wounded  men  under  treatment ;  a  swiftly  executed  move 
rearward,  trucks  loaded  with  gear  and  personnel  and 
wounded,  but  never  farther  than  was  absolutely  necessary ; 
the  establishment  of  new  quarters  and  the  quick  resumption 
of  work,  for  men's  lives  spelled  victory  and  delay  was  death. 

The  narrative  of  Compiegne,  where  100,000  men  a  day 


138     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

poured  forward  and  back  as  through  a  narrow  gateway,  is  a 
moving  picture.  It  started  on  the  morrow  of  the  great 
German  attacks  of  March,  1918,  when  French  Grand  Head- 
quarters had  been  moved  away  to  Tevhs  and  the  civihan 
population  had  fled ;  away  back  in  the  days  when  Lloyd 
George  was  cabling  President  Wilson  to  send  men  —  and 
send  them  quick ;  away  back  before  the  main  American 
Armies  came.  In  a  big  hotel,  long  abandoned,  the  Red 
Cross  took  lodgment,  threw  open  the  doors  and  never  closed 
them  for  two  weeks,  intent  on  its  work  of  general  relief.  It 
was  indeed  a  world  cast  from  its  moorings!  Soldiers  were 
lost,  —  separated  from  their  commands,  —  foodless,  shelter- 
less, cold,  and  wet ;  and  the  streets  held  crowds  of  refugees. 
There  were  doctors  and  nurses,  executives  and  handy  men  of 
every  nationality  and  every  faith,  who  gathered  in  this 
center  and  joined  in  its  work.  The  kitchen  held  steaming 
stew-pots  which  were  never  empty.  On  the  floors  of  the 
great  reception-room  and  ball-room,  soldiers  of  all  armies 
slept  side  by  side.  The  city's  stores  were  opened  and  dry 
food  given  away  to  the  crowding  refugees.  The  truck 
drivers,  with  aerial  bombs  falling  all  around  them,  gathered 
terror-stricken  people  from  their  houses  and  making  their 
way  over  bridges  that  were  under  vicious  fire  hauled  them 
away  to  safety.  In  the  railroad  stations  an  improvised 
infirmary  was  established  where  doctors  dressed  the  wounds 
of  fifty  to  a  hundred  soldiers  a  day  —  wounds  that  had  been 
inflicted  two  days  before. 

In  the  hospital  at  Annel,  six  miles  from  Compiegne,  in  an 
old  chateau,  were  two  American  doctors  who  had  stayed  on 
the  night  of  March  25, 1917,  after  seeing  the  wounded  carried 
away  by  canal  boats.  The  artillery  near  at  hand  thundered 
on  with  scarcely  a  pause.  It  was  a  night  when  the  Germans 
were  hammering  at  Noyon  and  threatening  to  break  through 
any  hour  and  start  down  the  main  road  to  Paris.  But  the 
American   ambulance  drivers,   from  force   of  habit,   kept 


ON   THE   BATTLEFRONT  139 

coming  with  loads  of  wounded.  The  American  doctors 
stayed  on  and  worked  over  the  tables  for  two  days  or  more. 
Five  Red  Cross  trucks  arrived  with  supplies  and  their  drivers 
administered  anaesthetics  while  these  two  American  doctors 
operated  on  poilus,  Tommies,  or  whoever  came  along. 

Some  canteen  women  came  in  from  Compiegne,  and  with 
the  big  German  planes  soaring  overhead  and  the  grumble  of 
the  battle  drowning  speech,  these  two  lion-hearted  Americans 
remained  at  their  posts.  This  was  the  sort  of  courage  and 
the  sort  of  faith  that  carried  the  American  wherever  his 
job  lay  in  the  hurly-burly  of  war. 

After  the  fighting  became  open  —  after  the  second  battle 
of  the  Marne  and  after  the  Germans  started  moving  toward 
the  Rhine  —  the  rolling  canteen  proved  the  prime  solution 
of  the  quick-lunch  question. 

In  the  zone  of  war  the  Red  Cross  workers  did  not  think 
of  safety  beyond  the  sane  precautions  of  the  soldier.  The 
Red  Cross  man  offered  his  life  as  a  gift  to  his  country  and 
to  the  cause  of  humanity. 

The  picture  of  the  ambulance  drivers  and  their  venturous 
task  has  become  more  or  less  familiar.  Their  peril  was  in- 
cessant. On  the  other  hand,  considering  their  numbers, 
the  forbearance  with  which  death  passed  by  their  charmed 
ranks  since  the  day  the  first  American  units  went  over  in 
1914,  has  been  a  wonderment  of  the  war.  Trying  as  these 
young  ambulanciers  did  to  get  the  wounded  from  the  most 
forward  point  possible,  they  carried  their  cars  through  raining 
shells  and  bombs,  through  gas,  through  every  menace  that 
the  fire  zone  knew.  In  and  out,  journey  after  journey, 
waiting  the  summons  always  by  night  as  well  as  by  day, 
there  is  a  long  record  of  their  courage  and  their  ungrudging 
devotion  to  one  of  the  most  trying  duties  of  the  war. 

This  letter  from  a  Red  Cross  ambulance  driver  at  Verdun, 
in  the  awful  summer  of  1916,  merits  preservation  as  a  picture 
grimly  faithful  of  the  scenes  in  which  these  non-combatant 


140     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

heroes  played  their  part,  and  a  pathetic  record  as  the  agony 
by  which  France  made  good  the  promise,  "lis  ne  passeront 
pas.^'     (They  shall  not  pass.) 

My  Dear : 

To-night  I  am  sitting  in  a  small  underground  cellar  of  one  of  the  public 
buildings  of  the  town,  acting  as  a  sort  of  time-keeper  or  starter  for  the 
cars  going  up  to  our  most  dangerous  post  and  handhng  the  reserve  cars 
for  wounded  in  the  town  itself.  I  wish  I  could  describe  the  scene  as  it  is 
before  my  eyes,  —  for  the  whole  world  is  passing  here  —  French,  Ameri- 
can, living,  wounded,  and  dying. 

A  long  heavily  arched  corridor,  with  stone  steps  leading  down  to  us ; 
two  compartments  off  to  one  side  lined  with  wine-bins,  where  our  reserve 
men  and  a  few  French  hrancardiers  (stretcher-bearers)  are  lying  on  their 
stained  stretchers,  some  snoring ;  beyond  a  door  that  leads  into  a  small 
operating  room,  and  to  the  left  another  door  that  leads  to  a  little  sick 
ward,  the  most  pathetic  little  room  I  have  ever  seen  —  with  four  beds 
of  different  sizes  and  kinds  on  one  side  and  six  on  the  other,  taken  evi- 
dently from  the  ruined  houses  nearby  —  and  one  tired  infirmier  (hospital 
attendant)  to  tend  and  soothe  the  wounded  and  djdng. 

In  the  bed  nearest  the  door,  a  French  priest,  shot  through  the  lungs  — 
with  pneumonia  setting  in  —  his  black  beard  pointed  straight  up,  and 
whispering  for  water.  Next  to  him,  a  Uttle  German  lad,  hardly  nineteen 
and  small,  with  about  six  hours  to  live,  calling,  sometimes  screaming,  for 
his  mother,  and  then  for  water.  Next  to  him  a  French  captain  of  infantry 
with  his  arm  off  at  the  shoulder  and  his  head  wounded,  weak,  dying,  but 
smihng ;  and  next  to  him  a  tirailleur  in  delirium  calling  on  his  Colonel 
to  charge  the  Germans.  The  infirmier  is  going  from  one  to  the  other, 
soothing  and  waiting  on  each  in  turn.  He  asks  what  the  German  is  say- 
ing, and  I  tell  him  he  is  calling  for  his  mother.  "Ah,  this  is  a  sad  war," 
he  says,  as  he  goes  over  to  hold  the  poor  lad's  hand. 

A  brancardier  comes  in  with  a  telephone  message,  —  "A  blesse" 
(wounded  man)  at  Belleville  —  "very  serious."  This  is  a  reserve  car 
call,  so  one  sUdes  out  and  is  gone  like  a  gray  ghost  down  the  ruined  street, 
making  all  the  speed  its  driver  can  —  no  easy  matter  —  with  no  lights. 
In  twenty  minutes  he  is  back.  The  hrancardiers  go  out  —  they  come  in 
again  bearing  the  wounded  man  on  a  stretcher  and  place  it  on  the  floor 
beside  the  little  stove.  One  of  them,  who  is  a  priest,  leans  over  him  and 
asks  his  name  and  town ;  then  in  answer  to  what  his  wife's  name  is,  he 
murmurs :  "Alice"  ;  while  on  the  other  side  another  brancardier  is  slitting 
the  clothes  from  his  body  and  I  shiver  at  the  pity  of  it,  the  sight  I  saw. 


ON   THE   BATTLEFRONT  141 

The  surgeon  comes  out  of  his  Uttle  operating  room.  Weary  with  the 
night's  tragic  work  —  after  so  many,  many  other  tragic  nights,  he  douses 
his  head  in  a  bucket  of  water.  Then  he  turned  to  the  wounded  man. 
He  looked  long  at  him,  gently  felt  his  nose  and  lifted  his  closed  eyelids. 
Then,  at  his  nod,  the  stretcher  is  again  lifted  and  the  wounded  man  carried 
into  the  operating  room,  and  soon  after  into  the  little  room  of  sorrows. 

In  answer  to  my  eager  question  the  surgeon  shook  his  head.  Not  a 
chance. 

A  brancardier  and  I  gathered  the  soldier's  belongings  from  his  clothes 
to  be  sent  to  his  wife,  but  even  we  had  to  stop  a  few  minutes  after  we  saw 
the  photograph  of  his  wife  and  their  two  little  children. 

An  hour  later,  as  our  night's  work  was  slacking  down  and  several  cars 
had  driven  up  and  been  unloaded,  the  infirmier  came  in  from  the  little 
room  and  said  something  to  the  brancardiers.  Two  of  them  got  a  stretcher 
and  in  a  moment  "the  blesse  from  Belleville  "  came  past  with  a  sheet  over 
him-  They  laid  him  down  at  the  other  end  of  the  room  and  another 
brancardier  commenced  rolling  and  t>ing  him  in  a  burlap  for  burial.  As 
you  looked  he  changed  to  shapeless  log.  Then  out  to  the  dead  wagon 
with  it. 

Soon  after  I  went  into  the  little  ward  again  to  see  how  the  others  were 
coming  through  the  night,  and  was  glad  to  see  them  all  quieted  down; 
even  the  Uttle  German  seemed  less  in  pain,  though  his  breathing  still 
shook  the  little  bed  he  lay  on. 

Through  a  chink  I  saw  that  day  was  beginning  to  break,  and  as  I 
noticed  it  I  heard  the  Chief's  car  coming  in  from  the  "Sap"  and  I  knew 
the  night's  work  was  over. 

In  France  after  the  American  Army  began  going  over  in 
volume,  the  ambulance  service,  in  common  with  that  of  the 
hospitals  and  early  work  with  the  wounded  generally,  was 
mihtarized  almost  as  completely  as  the  fighting  forces  them- 
selves. Many  of  the  ambulance  sections  which,  previously, 
had  been  allied  with  the  Red  Cross,  were  absorbed  into  the 
Army  in  the  same  manner  as  the  nurses  and  base  hospitals : 
In  all,  the  Red  Cross  organized  forty-seven  ambulance  units 
which  operated  under  Army  management  and  as  parts  of 
the  Medical  Corps  of  the  Expeditionary  Force;  it  main- 
tained its  ambulance  units  in  the  nature  of  reserves,  en- 
gaged in  transporting  wounded  men,  who  were  on  the  way 


142     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

to  recovery,  from  base  hospitals  to  the  convalescent  establish- 
ments maintained  by  the  Red  Cross  in  all  parts  of  France ; 
it  also  maintained  service  for  the  Marine  Hospital  at  the 
port  of  debarkation. 

The  line  of  demarcation  established  in  General  Pershing's 
forces  between  the  Red  Cross  ambulance  service  and  the 
units  definitely  identified  with  the  Army  itself  had  a  measur- 
able degree  of  elasticity,  which  made  all  Red  Cross  force 
and  equipment  available  for  the  service  in  advanced  territory 
in  case  of  need.  At  the  Chateau-Thierry  fight  when  the 
flood  of  wounded  was  overtaxing  the  space  and  the  Army 
machinery  for  their  removal  after  treatment.  Red  Cross 
ambulances  were  called  into  service,  carrying  their  unhappy 
burden  of  injured  straight  from  the  front  to  Paris. 

This  official  relation  of  the  Red  Cross  to  the  Army  —  a 
supplementary  and  coadjutant  one  —  was  through  the 
whole  field  of  military  activity,  whether  in  the  supply  of 
materials  or  of  service.  In  a  sense,  it  is  for  this  purpose 
that  the  people  of  the  United  States  maintain  the  Red 
Cross  as  a  quasi-government  institution  and  for  this  ultimate 
purpose  that  it  was  nationalized. 

In  the  average  mind,  confused  in  contemplation  of  the 
war's  swiftly  moving  picture,  it  is  doubtful  if  there  exists 
any  clearly  defined  idea  of  the  perfectly  regulated  system 
by  which  the  Army  effected  immediate  removal  of  its 
casualties,  and  the  continuous  and  progressive  treatment  of 
their  injuries  while,  at  the  same  time,  relieving  any  con- 
gestion that  hampered  the  steady  back-flow  of  wounded 
from  the  fighting  lines. 

Under  the  Army  system  there  were  in  hospital  service 
three  parallel  zones  —  somewhat  roughly  defined,  and  vary- 
ing with  conditions  —  in  which  it  was  intended  that  all  the 
elements  involved  shall  be  of  the  Army  service  and  not 
voluntary.  In  a  mobile  Army  each  division  had  four  com- 
panies,  each  company  twelve  ambulances,   with  dressing 


ON   THE   BATTLEFRONT  143 

station  equipment.  These  stations  were  set  up  in  some 
sheltered  place,  if  such  could  be  found,  and  to  them  the 
wounded  were  brought.  They  were  provided  with  a  certain 
amount  of  equipment,  food,  and  supplies,  such  as  could  be 
easily  carried  and  would  suffice  for  initial  treatment  of 
injuries.  Back  of  these  —  marking  the  second  zone  —  were 
four  field  hospitals  under  canvas,  each  capable  of  caring  for 
216  patients.  There  were  beds  but  no  cots.  These  stations 
carried  operating  equipment  and  adequate  kitchen  outfits. 
At  the  next  stage  —  the  head  of  the  line  of  communication 
—  was  the  first  evacuation  hospital.  The  capacity  here 
was  double  that  of  the  field  hospitals,  since  the  transportation 
facilities  farther  up  might  in  time  of  intense  action  be  over- 
taxed. This  was  a  more  or  less  permanent  station,  usually 
located  in  some  suitable  existing  building.  It  was  not  mobile 
in  the  sense  that  it  had  no  transportation  equipment.  The 
wounded  were  dispatched  by  ambulance  or  by  hospital 
trains.  It  was  equivalent  to  what  in  the  British  Army  was 
known  as  the  Casualty  Clearing  Station  and  was,  usually, 
located  in  the  nearest  town.  Its  function  was  to  clear  the 
field  hospital  for  future  emergencies  and  was  permanent 
save  in  cases  of  retreat.  If  an  advance  was  made,  a  new 
evacuation  station  would  be  set  up  in  the  acquired  ground, 
thus  shortening  the  distance  from  the  mobile  area. 

From  this  point  the  patient,  when  in  fit  condition,  was 
removed  to  the  base  hospital.  Back  of  this  lay  the  so- 
called  ''home  zone."  From  the  base,  progress  was  to  the 
convalescent  hospitals  in  Paris  or  other  parts  of  France, 
some  of  which  were  maintained  by  the  Red  Cross. 

This,  in  short,  was  the  process  by  which  the  soldier  caught 
up  in  the  instant  of  his  injury,  or  as  soon  after  as  possible, 
was  passed  along  on  the  way  to  his  recovery  with  progressive 
medical  and  surgical  treatment.  Outwardly,  and  in  its 
operation  and  control,  it  was  exclusively  an  Army  organi- 
zation, but  the  function  of  the  Red  Cross,  other  than  in 


144    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

crises  where  the  system  was  overloaded  and  the  Army  service 
needed  reenforcement,  was  still  an  important  one.  The 
largest  single  appropriation  of  the  Red  Cross  for  the  United 
States  Army  in  1917-1918  was  $4,330,760,  for  what  is 
known  as  ravitaillement  service.  Under  this  title  the  Red 
Cross  furnished  all  sorts  of  things  contributory  to  the  proper 
and  convenient  care  of  the  wounded,  to  the  end  not  only  of 
humanity  but  of  military  effectiveness.  It  included  port- 
able kitchens,  heating  and  lighting  plants,  laundries,  baths 
and  disinfecting  outfits,  dental  ambulances,  and  material 
for  what  are  called  mobile  complementary  hospitals;  also 
it  furnished  huts,  barracks,  and  miscellaneous  supplies  for 
the  purpose  of  facilitating  restorative  work  among  the 
wounded  and  maintaining  such  work  in  the  advanced  terri- 
tory at  the  points  of  greater  availability.  Under  the  advice 
of  Army  Medical  authorities  the  Red  Cross  established  two 
plants,  one  in  France  and  one  in  America,  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  nitrous  oxide  gas  for  the  purpose  of  anaesthesia 
in  cases  where  the  patient  was  in  too  critical  a  state  for 
ether.  The  total  normal  capacity  was  over  25,000  gallons 
a  day. 

The  hospital  supply  service,  to  both  American  and  French 
hospitals  —  and  the  latter  are  nearly  4000  in  number  — 
was  very  wide.  It  was  operated  by  having  agents  call  at 
the  various  hospitals  and  obtain  from  them  lists  of  needed 
articles  not  regularly  supplied  by  the  Army,  such  as  special 
surgical  instruments  and  apparatus,  convalescent  garments, 
bandages  and  slings  for  special  operations.  These  were 
delivered  from  the  Hospital  Supply  Service.  There  was  a 
diet-kitchen  service  maintained  to  supply  invalid  foods  for 
wounded  men.  Large  stores  of  these  foodstuffs  were  held  in 
Red  Cross  warehouses,  subject  to  requisition  by  the  Army. 
These,  in  a  way,  were  emergency  contributions  to  the 
wounded  man's  welfare.  The  organization  of  base  hospitals, 
of  which  the  Red  Cross  furnished  fifty  to  the  Army  Medical 


ON  THE   BATTLEFRONT  145 

Service,  at  a  cost  of  over  $2,000,000,  was  most  fundamental 
in  its  character  and  value. 

The  Marne  fighting  of  July  afforded  striking  illustration 
of  the  importance  of  the  Red  Cross  supply  system  in  supple- 
menting the  work  of  the  Army  hospitals.  In  one  shipment 
seven  tons  of  surgical  dressings  and  five  tons  of  diet  foods 
were  dispatched  to  the  front  for  use  in  evacuation  hospitals 
for  American  wounded.  The  Red  Cross  medical  officer's 
storehouses  and  pharmacies  were  open  and  busy  day  and 
night  throughout  the  counter  offensive.  On  July  18  the 
chief  of  the  medical  section  arrived  from  the  front  and 
started  back  at  three  o'clock  the  following  morning  with 
a  load  of  emergency  supplies,  including  fifty  gallons  of 
alcohol ;  2000  doses  of  tetanus  antitoxin ;  surgical  instru- 
ments ;  several  gross  of  surgical  needles ;  and  dressings  and 
operating  material  of  all  kinds.  There  are  no  speed  laws 
in  war,  and  the  means  that  are  quickest  and  nearest  at 
hand  were  taken  for  every  service.  Drugs  or  hospital 
equipment  needed  in  a  hmTy  have  been  rushed  to  the  front 
by  motorcycle.  There  is  a  record  in  Paris  of  the  establish- 
ment and  preparation  of  evacuation  hospitals  behind  the 
front,  which  makes  all  previous  performances  look  painfully 
slow.  A  hospital  officer  left  Paris  with  ten  nurses  and  ten 
tons  of  equipment.  They  found  a  desirable  building,  rented 
it,  equipped  it  with  everything  needed,  including  operating 
room  and  X-ray  outfit,  and  were  receiving  patients  within 
three  days. 

Thus  through  every  phase  and  department  of  hospital 
work  the  Red  Cross  sought  in  greater  or  lesser  degree,  as 
opportunity  served,  to  upbuild  and  maintain  the  most 
effective  and  most  modern  service  for  the  healing  and  restora- 
tion of  the  wounded  man.  The  millions  of  dollars  of  popular 
subscriptions  that  were  placed  at  its  disposal  have  not  only 
worked  in  every  possible  direction  to  insure  his  comfort, 
but  the  Army's  shoulders  were  lightened  of  a  time-consuming 


146     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

load  and  the  paramount  business  of  saving  lives  has  been 
sped. 

The  war  signalized  more  than  one  triumph  which  was  not 
of  arms.  One  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  these  was  the 
conquest  that  medical  and  surgical  science  achieved  over 
scourges  which  devoured  man  power  in  the  armies  of  the 
past.  In  July,  1918,  the  Red  Cross  mobihzed  in  this  country 
a  six  months'  supply  of  the  bacillus  Welchi  serum  for  the 
cure  and  prevention  of  gas  gangrene,  amounting  in  all  to 
120,000  doses.  Tetanus  had  been  mastered,  but  the  deci- 
mation of  forces  by  the  cruel  agency  of  poison-gas  was  not 
overcome  until  by  exhaustive  research  the  immune  serum 
was  discovered.  The  Red  Cross  assumed  responsibility 
for  dispensation  of  it  to  the  Allied  armies.  The  providing 
of  splints,  of  the  six  types  now  developed  for  confinement 
of  injured  members  in  cases  of  fractm-e,  became  another 
large-scale  activity  of  the  Red  Cross.  The  boys  of  the 
Junior  organization  acquired  high  proficiency  in  their  manu- 
facture and  produced  them  in  volume.  The  Red  Cross 
also  maintained  five  factories  for  the  purpose  in  Paris,  with 
a  total  output  of  16,000  splints  each  month. 

At  the  American  base  hospitals  the  Red  Cross  installed 
various  forms  of  diversion,  which  shortened  the  weary 
journey  of  the  soldier  back  to  health.  A  little  garden  enter- 
prise was  started  at  one  of  the  bases  which  proved  of  such 
benefit  that  the  Red  Cross  sent  to  America  for  men  and 
equipment  to  extend  the  work  to  all  the  base  hospitals. 
These  little  farms  proved  a  perfect  medicine  for  the  "  shell- 
shocked  "  men,  and  furnished  tons  of  vegetables  toward  the 
food  supply  of  the  institutions. 

In  1917,  the  Red  Cross  had  provided  funds  for  a  Yule 
party  and  entertainment  in  every  base  hospital,  and  a 
Christmas  tree  in  every  ward  where  a  soldier  or  sailor  lay. 
There  were  1,750,000  Christmas  cheer  packages  distributed 
at  home  and  abroad,  which  cost  approximately  one  dollar 


ON   THE   BATTLEFRONT  147 

each,  and  which  contained  socks,  handkerchiefs,  tobacco, 
chewing  gum,  cigarettes,  and  other  useful  things.  In 
1918,  the  Red  Cross,  complying  with  the  Army  rule  that 
permitted  each  soldier  to  receive  only  one  package  of  speci- 
fied dimensions,  supplied  the  cartons  and  distributed  them. 
Just  to  make  sure  that  each  soldier  received  one  it  prepared 
and  filled  several  thousands  of  these  packages  for  those  who 
might  be  overlooked. 

During  the  war  the  Red  Cross  furnished  each  wounded 
man  —  who  in  the  stress  of  the  battle  lost  all  his  belongings 
—  with  a  comfort  bag  that  contained  toilet  articles,  razors, 
handkerchiefs,  and  many  other  necessities.  These  were 
especially  appreciated  by  the  soldiers.  A  toothbrush  was 
often  the  first  thing  a  wounded  doughboy  would  ask  for  on 
arrival  at  the  hospital. 

''These  things,"  said  General  Pershing,  ''bring  the  soldier 
to  remember  that  the  people  at  home  are  behind  him.  You 
do  not  know  how  much  they  mean  to  the  soldier  who  is  over 
here  carrying  the  flag  for  his  country." 

With  a  view  to  centralizing  the  activities  of  relief  organi- 
zations overseas,  and  to  facilitate  the  work  with  the  Army, 
General  Pershing  designated  the  Red  Cross  as  the  only 
relief  society  to  work  in  locating  and  administering  to  Amer- 
ican wounded  who  had  been  removed  to  hospitals  in  France. 
There  were  4500  hospitals.  To  simphfy  the  task  it  was 
conducted  on  a  zone  system  and  wounded  Americans  con- 
valescing in  France  were  enlisted  to  carry  it  on. 

The  work  of  giving  information  regarding  soldiers  to 
their  relatives  was  organized  under  the  Bureau  of  Home 
Communication.  Primarily,  this  work  consisted  in  gather- 
ing full  and  detailed  information  as  to  casualties  and  for 
this  purpose  "searchers,"  both  men  and  women,  were  sent 
to  France,  their  numbers  increasing  with  the  numbers  of 
overseas  troops.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  War  Department 
to  give  notices  of  casualties  to  famiUes,  but  these  notices 


148     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

were  necessarily  laconic  and  businesslike.  No  War  Office 
in  the  world  could  be  asked,  in  the  multipUcity  of  its  duties, 
to  write  famihes  detailed  reports,  but  there  was  need  of 
just  this  thing.  Famihes  sending  their  boys  overseas  could 
not  understand  why,  when  their  son  was  wounded,  he  should 
not  come  home  immediately  or  why  the  mother  should  not 
go  out  to  nurse  him.  Here  was  a  new  opportunity  for  the 
Red  Cross  to  be  of  service.  It  placed  women  in  the  hospitals 
abroad  to  write  letters  or  reports  about  the  young  men  who 
were  ill  or  wounded  or  dying,  and  these  were  transmitted 
by  the  Bureau  of  Communication  in  Washington  to  the 
families.  Sometimes  these  women  were  overwhelmed  with 
work,  as,  for  example,  in  some  of  the  evacuation  hospitals 
where  the  wounded  passed  through  in  a  steady  stream. 
They  could  not  report  on  all  the  cases,  but  they  tried  to  re- 
port on  the  more  serious  cases  and  to  write  to  the  families 
a  personal  letter  about  those  who  had  died.  With  the  divi- 
sions near  the  front  there  were  men  searchers.  Their  busi- 
ness was,  in  the  first  place,  to  answer  the  inquiries  forwarded 
from  America  concerning  men  who  had  not  been  heard  from 
or  who  had  troubles  which  might  be  assisted  by  word  from 
home.  Sometimes  they,  too,  reported  on  casualties  without 
any  request.  Such  a  case  as  the  following  occurred  very 
often  :  in  the  Chateau-Thierry  drive  the  wounded  men  were 
poured  into  a  hospital,  the  most  seriously  wounded  to  be 
treated,  the  others  to  be  sent  on.  The  searcher  had  to  give 
most  of  his  time  to  assist  the  stretcher-bearers  and  the  sur- 
geons. He  still  had  time,  however,  to  lie  on  the  ground 
beside  some  seriously  wounded  man  and  to  jot  down  the  last 
message  he  wanted  sent  to  his  family.  It  was  impossible 
that  a  searcher,  under  circumstances  of  this  kind,  could  talk 
with  all  of  the  wounded  or  even  a  large  proportion  of  them, 
but  the  few  who  were  seen  made  the  whole  work  worth  while 
in  that  it  brought  one  ray  of  comfort  to  a  few  bereaved 
families. 


ON  THE  BATTLEFRONT  149 

All  the  information  collected  abroad  was  sent  to  the  Paris 
office  where  it  was  classified  and  forwarded  to  the  Washington 
office.  The  Uttle  group  of  letter  writers  was  rapidly  aug- 
mented and  it  was  always  the  plan  to  send  the  famiUes 
letters  which  gave  the  facts  as  completely  and  as  kindly 
as  possible.  There  was  also  kept  a  card  file  of  all  casu- 
alties, which  file  finally  grew  to  contain  some  400,000 
cards  giving,  so  far  as  possible,  on  each  card  the  history  of 
the  case.  The  Army  was  thoroughly  cooperative  in  that  it 
reahzed  the  need  and  understood  that  the  Red  Cross  could 
be  of  service  not  only  to  the  families  but  to  the  mihtary 
authorities.  The  files  at  the  Central  Records  Office  were 
always  open  to  the  Red  Cross  workers  stationed  there  and 
much  of  the  information  received  outside  was  checked  by 
the  official  reports.  The  only  work  under  the  general  super- 
vision of  the  Bureau  of  Communication  which  did  not 
actually  go  through  the  Washington  office  was  that  of 
keeping  families  informed  concerning  men  sick  in  the  camps 
and  cantonments  in  this  country.  Here,  also,  men  were 
placed  to  send  out  the  so  much  needed  information  and 
probably  many  thousands  of  letters  went  daily  to  families 
from  these  camps  and  cantonments  in  addition  to  the  thou- 
sands concerning  the  troops  overseas  which  went  out  from 
the  Washington  office. 

But  to  return  to  the  work  abroad :  particular  attention 
was  given  to  all  cases  of  missing  men  or  prisoners.  In 
addition  to  its  search  work  the  Bureau  received  through 
the  International  Committee  at  Berne,  Switzerland,  a  Ust  of 
American  prisoners  in  Germany,  officially  provided  by  the 
German  government.  After  announcement  to  the  relatives, 
the  prisoner's  case  was  transferred  to  the  Bureau  of  Pris- 
oners' Relief.  The  Red  Cross  suppUed  to  each  prisoner, 
for  account  of  the  given  unit,  twenty  pounds  of  food.  As  a 
matter  of  record,  there  was  return  receipt  card  for  proof 
that  this  food  was  delivered. 


150     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

And  so  to  the  last  possible  notch  the  Red  Cross  followed 
the  way  of  the  soldier.  If  he  was  wounded  and  came  round 
fit  and  went  back,  as  he  was  always  restless  and  eager  to  do, 
well  and  good.  His  family  knew  it  and  he  didn't  go  back 
hungry  or  in  need.  If  his  injuries  unfitted  him  for  further 
service  and  he  was  sent  home,  then  Red  Cross  men  or  women 
met  him  at  the  home  port  and  stayed  at  his  side  until  he 
reached  the  hospital  to  which  he  had  been  assigned.  And, 
finally,  there  remains  the  one  last  service  —  the  saddest  of 
all :  it  was  to  watch  over  the  brave  souls  who  had  given  all 
for  their  country  and  for  humanity ;  to  stand  by  them  to  the 
brink ;  and  to  soften,  in  whatever  way  possible,  the  sorrow 
of  those  who  mourned.^  If  there  be  any  service  in  the  world 
that  is  nobler,  more  faithful,  or  more  inspired  by  love  than 
this,  I  do  not  know  of  it. 

*  Through  the  Department  of  Communication  the  Red  Cross  has  a 
corps  of  photographers,  working  under  the  Graves  Registration  Service 
in  France,  whose  task  it  is  to  take  photographs  of  all  identified  graves 
and  these,  as  soon  as  received,  will  be  sent  by  the  Red  Cross  to  the  families 
of  the  dead. 


CHAPTER   XII 


The  American  Red  Cross  in  France  —  First  Request  —  Pioneer  Work  to 
Find  Families  and  Keep  Them  Together  —  Belgians  in  France  — 
Cooperation  with  the  French  Government  —  Cooperative  Union 
with  EngHsh  and  American  Society  of  Friends  —  Cooperation  with 
Other  Relief  Organizations  —  Dispensaries  —  Purchasing  in  France  — 
Warehouses  Secured  —  Assistance  to  the  French  Army  —  Ac- 
knowledgment to  the  French  Government  and  French  Officials. 

ONE  of  the  first  things  I  was  told  when  I  arrived  at  our 
headquarters  in  Paris  was  that  the  French  people  had 
said  that  the  American  Red  Cross  came  to  France  so  silently 
that  they  did  not  know  it  had  come.  It  was  a  particularly 
graceful  way,  wholly  French  in  its  subtlety,  of  paying  a 
comphment  to  the  newly  arrived  Commission  and,  needless 
to  say,  was  much  to  the  hking  of  men  almost  overwhelmed 
with  the  magnitude  and  strangeness  of  their  mission.  For, 
although  men  may  have  gone  on  greater  missions,  —  and 
even  that  is  doubtful,  —  surely  none  could  have  been 
stranger  than  that  which  left  the  United  States  in  June,  1917, 
—  two  months  after  the  declaration  of  war,  —  with  only 
the  vaguest  idea  of  what  they  would  be  able  to  do  in  the  way 
of  all  kinds  of  relief.  Nor  was  the  full  meaning  of  their 
undertaking  revealed  to  them  until  they  touched  French 
soil  and  had  become  eye-witnesses  of  the  great  havoc  caused 
by  three  years  of  valiant  wresthng  with  the  huge  and,  at 
times,  all  but  overwhelming  labor  of  maintaining  an  un- 
broken front  against  the  invader. 

That  the  ranks  of  soldiery  had  been  terribly  depleted, 

151 


152     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

there  were  signs  on  every  hand ;  nor  were  there  evidences 
lacking  of  the  acute  suffering  among  the  civihan  population, 
where  whole  families  found  themselves  separated :  fathers 
were  in  the  trenches,  mothers  worked  in  the  munition  fac- 
tories, while  the  children  were  adrift  in  a  world  of  disorder ; 
in  short,  there  was  not  a  man,  woman,  or  child  that  was  not  a 
vital  factor  in  the  situation  ! 

The  crying  need,  therefore,  was  not  only  to  keep  up  the 
morale  of  the  soldier  but  also  to  build  up  and  maintain  the 
spirit  of  the  people  behind  the  line,  —  something  which 
could  not  alone  be  accomplished  by  the  first  handful  of  Amer- 
ican soldiers  that  went  over  to  take  the  assurance  to  the 
mihtary  authorities  that  America  was  in  the  war.  Early, 
it  had  been  demonstrated  that  weeks  and  months  must, 
necessarily,  elapse  before  the  American  Army  could  find  her 
place  on  the  battlefield.  So  it  was  not  mere  soldiery  that 
would  serve  to  hearten  the  French  people,  but  something 
that  would  tell  them  that  the  soul  of  America  was,  and  would 
be,  with  them  in  all  their  multifarious  needs,  to  the  depth 
of  her  universal  strength  and  the  length  of  her  great  resources. 

From  a  purely  practical  viewpoint  it  was  argued  that 
every  particle  of  strength  and  confidence  which  America 
could  give  to  the  French  people,  would  be  a  real  contribution 
not  only  towards  relief  but  towards  shortening  the  war. 
Furthermore,  that  all  care  for  her  sick  and  wounded  and  all 
relief  for  her  destitute  people  would  tend  to  reduce  the  num- 
ber of  killed  and  wounded  among  Americans  in  France. 
So,  from  the  utilitarian  as  well  as  from  the  humanitarian 
side,  the  work  of  the  Red  Cross  in  France,  in  those  early  days, 
was  altogether  worth  while. 

With  the  American  passion  for  reducing  every  project  to  a 
business  formula,  the  Commission  built  in  advance  on  the 
old  Red  Cross  basis  of  military  and  civiUan  relief,  thinking 
that  the  work  would  readily  divide  and  subdivide  itself  un- 
der these  heads  for  purposes  of  organization  and  develop- 


"BACKING   UP   THE   FRENCH"  153 

ment ;  but  its  calculation  went  for  naught.  What  it  did  was 
to  begin  relief  first  and  work  out  the  organization  afterward. 

It  took  counsel  with  the  men  who  were  controlhng  the 
soldiery  of  France.  General  Petain  went  down  the  hues  and 
put  it  up  to  his  poilus:  "What  is  wanted  more  —  care  for 
yourselves  or  your  famiUes?"  To  a  man,  they  answered: 
"Forget  us  —  look  after  our  famiUes." 

Before  the  Commission  had  been  in  France  a  fortnight 
it  cabled  a  request  for  food,  clothing,  hospital  supplies,  and 
lumber  to  help  the  refugees  and  begin  relief  in  the  devastated 
regions  in  the  north  of  France  —  that  long  strip  of  country 
from  which  the  Germans  had  been  driven  out  and  which 
they  had  left  shattered,  polluted,  and  stripped  of  every- 
thing that  might  be  of  beauty  or  of  use. 

On  July  12,  the  War  Council  set  aside  $1,000,000  for 
the  relief  of  sick  and  wounded  French  soldiers.  And 
when,  on  July  16,  word  came  by  cable  of  the  immediate 
need  of  doctors  and  nurses,  especially  those  expert  in  the 
treatment  of  children's  diseases,  the  War  Council  engaged 
at  once  the  foremost  pediatrist  of  the  country  who,  with  a 
staff  of  child  speciahsts  and  a  corps  of  nurses,  took  ship  for 
the  other  side  where  he  and  others  estabUshed  a  most  ex- 
traordinary series  of  homes. 

So  they  began  with  the  children,  —  the  most  pitiful  as 
well  as  the  most  numerous  refugees,  —  and  at  Toul  estab- 
lished a  refuge  for  them,  one  of  many  that  has  been  set  up 
between  that  day  and  this.  Toward  the  end  of  1917,  there 
were  at  Nesle  a  thousand  little  broken  down  Belgian  children 
under  treatment,  while  preparations  were  being  made  for 
taking  in  other  thousands  to  be  cleaned  and  braced  up  and 
placed  somewhere  in  comfortable  homes.  From  this,  the 
natural  advance  was  to  the  refugees  of  larger  growth.  Work 
was  started  in  Paris,  where  the  congestion  was  most  acute, 
and  carried  out  into  other  cities  and  towns  of  the  devastated 
departments. 


154     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE    GREAT   WAR 

For  the  refugees,  as  for  everybody  else,  the  work  was 
done  in  cooperation  with  the  French  Government,  which 
had  a  system  of  its  own  with  which  it  had  been  trying  vainly 
to  stem  the  tide.  It  consisted  of  a  Department  Committee 
in  Paris,  theoretically  with  a  member  from  each  of  the  eighty 
odd  departments,  but  actually  with  only  two  or  three  repre- 
sented, who  passed  on  the  applications  for  relief  and  the 
identification  papers  of  the  applicants.  The  Government 
turned  over  the  task  to  the  American  Red  Cross,  which  en- 
larged the  organization  so  that  each  of  the  invaded  districts, 
whose  outcasts  thronged  the  rest  of  the  country,  had  a  com- 
mittee at  work.  But  at  best  it  was  hopeless  to  endeavor  to 
meet  such  a  problem  with  the  bureau.  There  were  only 
phantom  meals  to  give  away,  the  supply  of  clothing  was  not 
a  fraction  of  what  was  needed  —  for  these  people  had  been 
practically  blasted  out  of  their  homes  and  had  hurried  to 
the  highway  with  German  shells  bursting  behind  them. 
With  distress  and  tragedy  written  in  their  faces  and  their 
souls,  they  headed  for  the  centers  with  the  love  that  misery 
has  for  company,  and  Paris  was  the  Mecca  of  the  great  pil- 
grimage. The  result  was  inevitable.  There  were  families 
of  six,  seven,  and  eight  herded  in  one  room,  and  thousands 
that  had  no  roof  over  them  at  all  save  as  the  chance  of  a 
night  might  offer.  By  converting  great  public  buildings 
and  unused  structures  of  every  sort  into  ''apartment  houses," 
by  supplying  stoves  and  furniture  and  other  requisites,  the 
American  Red  Cross  set  out  to  move  twenty-five  thousand 
families  into  comfortable  quarters  before  the  advent  of  cold 
weather. 

In  handling  this  multitude  of  the  homeless  the  Red  Cross 
did  not  have  normal  people  to  deal  with.  The  adults,  like  the 
children,  were  worn  to  the  bone  by  their  vicissitudes,  broken 
in  strength,  in  nerves,  and  almost  in  hope.  A  great  part  of 
them  were  ill,  some  shattered  in  mind,  while  the  tubercular 
were  an  army  in  themselves.     It  was  not  alone  the  misery 


"BACKING   UP   THE   FRENCH"  155 

of  these  last  that  called  for  abatement :  it  was  the  menace 
they  presented  to  the  future  of  France.  The  Red  Cross 
took  over,  by  courtesy  of  the  French  Government,  and  also 
in  some  instances  from  private  organizations,  already  es- 
tablished hospitals  which,  for  lack  of  funds  or  of  forces,  were 
unable  to  maintain  maximum  operation  ;  it  completed  half- 
finished  buildings,  refurnished  abandoned  barracks,  papered, 
painted,  and  put  in  glass  solaria  and  partitions  to  make  pri- 
vate rooms  for  those  victims  who  were  near  the  end  of  the 
struggle ;  it  singled  out  from  the  battalions  of  the  homeless 
and  exhausted  many  upon  whom  the  ''white  death"  had  set 
its  mark,  and  even  those  whose  physical  depletion  might  ren- 
der them  easy  victims ;  it  established  for  such,  both  old 
and  young,  preventoria,  where  by  careful  treatment  and 
nourishment  the  doom  might  be  turned  aside. 

Health,  —  health  and  strength  were  the  things  needed, 
not  only  for  the  fighting  which  was  to  come  but  for  the  peace 
which  was  to  follow  the  fighting.  France,  with  her  decline 
in  birth  rate,  representing  a  huge  net  annual  loss,  with  her 
sacrifice  in  war,  with  the  future  all  black  before  her,  could  not 
neglect  any  means  of  saving  life  if  she  was  to  remain  a  nation 
and  enjoy  the  freedom  she  had  worked  for  so  valiantly. 
And,  with  the  back-breaking  burden  of  the  war's  expense 
still  piling  up,  to  permit  this  increasing  multitude  to  settle 
down  as  absolute  dependents,  inactive  and  unproductive 
and  consuming  the  food  of  idleness,  spelled  ruin  so  plain  that 
the  bhnd  might  read.  Gradually  the  solution  of  these  com- 
posite puzzles  began  to  outline  itself.  Taking  the  cue  from 
the  French  Government,  whose  efforts  had  all  been  directed 
toward  the  return  of  the  refugees  to  their  provinces,  so  far 
as  the  conditions  might  permit,  and  availing  itself  of  the  con- 
suming love  of  home  which  is  ingrown  in  the  nature  of  the 
French  race,  the  Red  Cross  combined  its  efforts  for  the  care 
of  the  refugees  with  a  broad  and  ca.refully  evolved  plan  to 
start  them  on  the  way  to  self -maintenance.     To  this  coherent 


156     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

purpose  it  added  provision  for  the  maintenance  of  health 
and  sanitation,  and  the  instruction  of  its  new  wards  in  the 
ways  of  hygienic  hving. 

Little  by  Uttle  the  situation  began  to  unfold  and  the  way 
of  progress  to  reveal  itself.  The  work  gathered  speed 
and  volume.  The  machine,  now  increasing  its  scope  and 
strength,  began  to  register.  Every  ship  that  passed  the 
German  sharks  brought  new  additions  to  the  Red  Cross 
forces,  both  men  and  women ;  and  every  day  saw  fresh 
details  of  them  moving  out  to  some  new  field,  pioneers  of 
pity,  soldiers  of  the  new  creed. 

The  refugees  from  the  farming  country  were  keenest 
of  all  to  go  back  to  the  home  acres.  And  the  French  com- 
mittees, by  way  of  stimulating  this  tendency,  withdrew  a 
moiety  of  their  assistance  and  promised  to  refund,  after  the 
War,  whatever  the  land  tillers  would  expend  for  their  own 
rehabilitation.  So  the  stream  began  to  move  northward  into 
the  territory  the  Germans  had  left.  On  ahead  of  them,  at 
their  side  and  behind  them,  moved  the  columns  of  the  Red 
Cross,  ready  with  food,  with  lumber,  and  other  materials 
for  reconstruction,  with  seeds  and  tools  for  the  restoration 
of  the  land,  with  labor  provided  by  a  cooperative  union  with 
the  English  and  American  societies  of  Friends,  who  had  done 
heroic  work  from  the  beginning  of  the  War.  There  are  long 
records  in  the  Red  Cross  archives  in  France  showing  in  de- 
tail what  roof  was  replaced  upon  this  farmer's  barn,  what 
glass  put  in  the  windows  of  another's  farmstead,  and  end- 
less other  repairs  to  fit  the  places  for  human  habitation  and 
rural  industry.  There  was  an  amazing  shipment  of  pumps, 
for  it  is  well  to  remember  that  what  the  German  apostle  of 
Kultur  could  not  carry  away  he  smashed  and  what  he  could 
not  smash  he  fouled. 

Like  homing  birds,  these  French  farmers  settled  down 
among  the  ruins  to  resume  the  tenor  of  their  placid  lives. 
The  like  of  it  could  not  happen  elsewhere  in  the  world! 


"BACKING   UP   THE   FRENCH"  157 

The  Red  Cross  was  with  them,  ready  to  lend  a  hand  at  any- 
thing they  needed ;  it  showed  them  short  cuts  in  agricul- 
ture and  rebuilding  ;  it  taught  the  lessons  of  modern  sanita- 
tion. It  established  dispensaries,  with  doctors  and  nurses 
and  facihties  for  transit,  and  the  sections  mapped  off  with 
medical  routes  after  the  fashion  of  Rural  Free  Delivery. 

All  up  and  down  the  districts  established  behind  the  lines, 
away  to  the  valleys  and  sloping  mountains  of  the  Vosges, 
the  Red  Cross  set  up  dispensaries  to  do  the  work  of  the  vil- 
lage doctors  who  had  gone  away  to  war.  There  was  scarcely 
a  community  in  France  that  had  not  suffered  in  health, 
and  for  the  good  of  all  concerned,  particularly  of  the  Ameri- 
can Army  that  was  to  come,  it  was  imperative  they  should 
have  the  ounce  of  prevention.  In  fair  and  foul  weather 
these  American  doctors  and  their  assistants  traveled  the  roads 
of  France,  visiting  the  villages  and  holding  office  hours  in 
some  public  building  or  going  from  house  to  house  where 
more  serious  sickness  existed.  There  were  maladies  of  all 
sorts,  and  in  some  cases  incipient  epidemics.  There  were 
children  with  mumps,  measles,  and  other  things ;  there 
were  the  aged,  weary  with  years,  upon  whom  the  War  had 
laid  the  final  straw  of  pain,  and  others  who  never  lived  to 
see  springtime  renew  the  green  of  their  home  hillsides.  All 
through  the  winter,  staying  neither  for  wind  nor  weather, 
these  Red  Cross  doctors  went  toiling  over  the  snow-drifted 
and  wind-swept  highways  of  France,  "practicing  medicine" 
with  an  assiduity  which  was  not  inspired  by  hope  of  gain, 
and  helping  far  more  than  they  knew  to  win  the  War. 

Like  the  agents  of  empire  in  far  places  of  the  world,  these 
"struggling"  doctors  in  the  ''listening  posts"  of  health 
never  knew  of  the  great  drama  of  relief  which  was  being  en- 
acted elsewhere.  By  this  time  in  France  the  people  had 
begun  to  dismiss  all  doubt  and  incredulity,  and  had  come 
to  the  realization  as  to  what  the  American  Red  Cross  really 
meant.    They  saw  the  cloud  of  miserable  refugees  dissolving 


158     THE    AMERICAN    RED    CROSS   IN   THE    GREAT   WAR 

from  the  city  streets.  By  day  and  by  night  the  trucks  and 
trailers  of  the  Red  Cross  motor  corps  roared  along  the  roads 
of  France  or  through  the  streets  of  the  cities,  burdened  with 
the  material  of  relief.  It  was  providential  that  there  al- 
ready existed  in  France  so  many  relief  organizations  whose 
members  were  familiar  with  the  field  and  its  difficulties. 
With  each  of  these,  when  possible,  the  Red  Cross  promptly 
struck  partnership  in  the  common  cause  ;  and  lacking  at  first 
personnel  sufficient  to  handle  the  mass  of  detail,  that  so 
vast  a  problem  presented,  it  shared  in  the  burden  of  their 
work.  By  November,  1917,  it  was  financing  and  assisting 
seventy-five  of  them.  To  the  French  Red  Cross,  struggling 
with  the  awful  labor  of  service  to  the  Armies,  the  American 
organization  gave  liberal  sums  of  money  for  supplies  and, 
indeed,  furnished  upon  demand  any  and  all  drugs  and  equip- 
ment of  which  there  was  lack.  The  Civil  Affairs  Depart- 
ment took  over  the  varied  activities  of  the  Tuherculeux  de 
la  Guerre,  established  by  Mrs.  Edith  Wharton,  of  the  Secours 
Americain  at  Amiens,  and  the  American  Society  for  the  Re- 
lief of  French  Orphans.  In  other  cases,  such  as  that  of  the 
American  Hostels  for  Refugees  and  the  Vestaire  VAccueil 
Franco-Ammcain,  the  Red  Cross  assumed  financial  respon- 
sibility, leaving  the  administration  in  the  hands  of  the 
former  governing  boards.  In  all,  397  grants  of  money 
were  made  in  the  first  six  months  to  322  institutions, 
whose  work  had  been  an  immense  contribution  to  the  aid 
of  suffering  France. 

The  French,  when  they  came  to  know  us  better,  coined  a 
complimentary  name  for  the  American  Red  Cross  which, 
even  now,  is  current:   "The  Godmother  of  Good  Works." 

But  the  Godmother  of  Good  Works  was  an  overtaxed 
fairy  when  it  came  to  the  delivery  of  her  benefactions.  Time 
was  of  the  very  essence  of  the  situation.  The  lack  of  every- 
thing was  so  intense,  the  Atlantic  so  wide,  the  ships  so  few 
compared  with  the  huge  load  there  was  to  carry  of  munitions 


"BACKIXG    UP   THE    FRENCH"  159 

and  inter- Allied  supplies,  of  advance  materials  for  the  hous- 
ing of  our  Armies  and  the  building  of  the  transportation 
system,  that  the  Red  Cross  Commission  accordingly  found 
it  wiser  to  buy  in  France,  Spain,  and  England  the  many 
thousand-and-one  commodities  that  were  instantly  required, 
than  to  wait  for  the  long  process  of  purchase  and  shipment 
from  the  United  States.  It  was  supplying  the  French  Army 
with  hospital  appliances  and  drugs;  to  the  refugees  it  was 
furnishing  caps  and  pinafores  and  other  articles  of  children's 
wear ;  to  the  societies  in  the  devastated  region  went  cloth- 
ing, implements,  and  even  animals;  and  to  the  organiza- 
tions in  Paris  the  multitude  of  indispensable  things  for 
making  homes.  Buying  in  advance  of  requirements  the 
Red  Cross  enumerated  on  its  sheets  470  standardized  classes 
of  articles,  many  of  them  with  numberless  sub-classifications. 
The  greater  part  was  stored  in  Paris,  where  a  dozen  ware- 
houses were  established.  As  the  calls  came,  these  things 
were  requisitioned  and  started  on  their  way  in  the  motor 
transport,  the  formation  of  which  had  been  begun  early  in 
the  campaign.  It  will  shed  some  interesting  light  on 
the  scope  of  these  operations  to  reproduce  here  the  requi- 
sition shps  of  one  day,  —  thirty-six  in  all,  —  which  was 
less  than  the  daily  average.  They  represent  grants  of  4009 
articles  sent  far  and  near  to  nineteen  organizations.  An 
"article"  may  mean  anything  from  a  poster  to  four  hundred 
yards  of  flannel. 

Woolen  caps,  mittens,  coats  and  capes,  scarfs,  condensed  milk,  jam, 
sugared  cocoa,  meat  juice,  cheese. 

Tapioca,  lemons,  checkers,  backgammon,  croquet,  playing  cards,  face 
towels,  kitchen  towels,  bedside  tables,  bedcovers,  armchairs,  chaise  longues, 
bowls,  candles,  candlesticks,  undervests,  woolen  socks,  house  sUppers, 
woolen  pajamas,  phonograph  records. 

Books  (Dumas,  Verne,  Hugo,  Daudet,  Merimee,  Loti,  Anatole  France). 

Galoshes,  blouses,  underskirts,  stockings,  sabots,  finger  bandages,  beans, 
hams,  sugar,  canned  meats,  wool,  posters,  roller  toweling,  serum,  drugs, 
folding  beds. 


160     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Blankets,  pillows,  sheets,  wardrobes,  stock  pots,  saucepans,  enamel 
saucepans,  small  dishes,  basins,  roasting  pans,  cliildren's  blankets,  eider- 
downs, straw  mattresses,  dust  cloths,  tea  cloths. 

Earthenware,  hot  water  bottles,  wash-basins,  sterilizers  for  milk,  sheet- 
ing, bath  toweling,  flannelette,  cahco,  white  flannelette,  apron  print,  gray 
wool  for  stockings,  flannel. 

Soup  ladles,  tablespoons,  butcher  knives,  peeling  knives,  kitchen 
knives,  chopping  knives,  large  coffee  pot,  roasting  pans,  graters,  flat  pans, 
serving  pans,  black  sateen. 

Girls'  drawers,  stockings,  handkerchiefs,  shoes,  stove  to  cook  for  sixty 
persons.  Assorted  boxes  clothing,  nightgowns,  shirts,  part  wool,  long 
drawers,  girls'  bloomers,  boys'  pants,  shirts,  girls'  dresses,  woolen  sweaters. 

A  diversified  business,  such  as  this  fragmentary  Ust  indi- 
cates, called  for  sheltering  places.  Facilities  for  handhng 
and  shipment  were  imperative,  and  there  was  always  the 
bogie  of  future  growth  in  volume,  which  it  was  now  clear 
would  be  swift  and  enormous.  The  warehouse  of  the  Ameri- 
can Relief  Clearing  House  was  soon  outgrown,  even  for  exist- 
ing business.  Three  more  of  much  larger  capacity  were  at 
once  secured  with  railroad  connection,  and  the  Red  Cross 
cleaned  up  and  installed  modern  equipment.  One  establish- 
ment was  leased,  cleaned,  altered,  and  ready  for  business  in 
forty-eight  hours  despite  the  fact  that  labor  was  the  scarc- 
est thing  in  Paris.  The  Red  Cross  employed  soldiers  on 
leave.  French,  red-fezzed  Moroccans,  and  Indo-Chinese ; 
with  them  as  laborers  a  system  of  transportation  was  built 
up  of  light  and  heavy  trucks  which  balked  at  no  burden  of 
traffic  to  any  part  of  France. 

In  one  room  of  a  Paris  warehouse  there  were  thirty  tons 
of  tobacco ;  in  another  wing  foodstuffs  were  stored  in  quan- 
tities to  tax  belief.  Three  hundred  tons  of  coffee  for  example, 
a  greater  tonnage  of  beans,  and  everything  else  in  proportion. 
It  was  not  a  storage ;  it  was  a  gate,  through  which  this  vol- 
ume of  supplies  flowed  in  a  ceaseless  stream.  Attached  to 
the  warehouses  were  garages  where  repairs  and  reconstruc- 
tion were  done  upon  the  hundreds  of  machines  which  were 


"BACKING   UP  THE   FRENCH"  161 

employed.  Even  in  September  of  1917,  the  motor  trans- 
port was  up  to  handling  in  and  out  of  the  Paris  warehouses 
150  tons  of  freight  a  day.  Even  American  threshing  ma- 
chines were  set  in  motion.  In  all  the  districts  back  of 
the  Hnes  were  divisional  warehouses  to  which  the  goods 
were  carried  for  distribution.  One  of  these  was  an  old 
seminary  which,  when  the  Red  Cross  took  possession, 
had  fifty-two  shell-holes  in  its  walls.  Most  of  these  ware- 
houses were  overrun  in  the  German  drive  of  1918.  After 
the  armistice  they  were  replaced  by  a  chain  of  depots, 
extending  from  Lille  to  the  eastern  border,  from  which 
supplies  were  issued  to  the  people  returning  to  the 
devastated  regions. 

To  the  French  Army  the  American  Red  Cross  lent  every 
possible  form  of  assistance.  It  set  up  spacious  rest  and 
recreation  canteens  in  Paris  and  at  several  of  the  great  in- 
tersection points  along  the  railway  lines,  where  thousands  of 
French  soldiers  were  made  comfortable  ;  it  established  roll- 
ing canteens  behind  the  lines ;  and  in  conjunction  with  the 
French  Government,  after  it  got  under  way,  it  furnished 
hot  meals  to  almost  a  million  soldiers  every  month  in  huge 
canteens  like  lumber-camp  barracks,  where  the  weary  poilu 
could  not  only  eat  and  sing  and  forget  his  troubles,  but 
bid  good-by  to  his  cooties,  treat  himself  to  a  shower  bath, 
a  clean  bunk  and  go  away  a  happier  human  and  once 
more  fit  to  associate  with  his  family. 

The  story  of  the  work  of  the  American  Red  Cross  in 
France  for  the  French  people  and  the  French  soldiers  can 
never  be  correctly  told  without  acknowledgment  to  the 
French  Government  and  French  officials  everywhere  for  the 
hearty  and  never-faihng  cooperation  in  every  endeavor. 
The  Paris  Temps,  commenting  on  the  Red  Cross  gifts  and 
on  Red  Cross  accomplishments  in  France,  in  December  of 
1917  said  :  ''We  find  proof  in  it  that  the  German  does  not 
wholly  monopolize,  as  he  pretends,  the  secret  of  organiza- 


162     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

tion ;  and  that  other  nations  can  demonstrate,  with  ours, 
their  energy  in  work  and  at  the  same  time  their  powers  of 
methodical  apphcation  and  disciphned  labor." 

Such  was  the  beginning  of  the  Red  Cross  accompHshment 
in  France. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE   CHILDREN   OF   FRANCE 

The  France  of  To-morrow  —  The  Army  of  Refugee  Children  —  Methods 
of  Work  — The  Call  from  Toul  — The  Work  Reaches  Dinard — 
Help  in  French  Schools  —  Health  Centers  in  Munition  Districts  — 
Children's  Wards  in  Tuberculosis  Hospitals  —  The  Red  Cross  Flag 
at  Nesle  —  A  Traveling  Dispensary  —  Evian  —  "The  Gateway  of 
a  Hundred  Sorrows"  —  Hospitals  and  Refuges  —  Child  Welfare 
Exhibit  at  Lyons  —  German  Policy  in  the  Discharge  of  Refugees 
through  Evian  —  French  System  in  the  Care  of  Refugees  —  Par- 
ticulars of  American  Red  Cross  Assistance. 

IF  the  old  adage  holds  true  that  the  boy  is  father  to  the 
man  then  one  need  have  little  fear  for  the  future  of 
France.  It  is  to  this  France  of  the  future,  the  new  genera- 
tion that  is  growing  up  in  a  sense  of  comradeship  with  the 
millions  of  our  own,  that  my  thoughts  now  turn.  And  how 
near  we  of  America  are  to  these  children  of  France  is  best 
told  in  the  following  letter  from  a  fourteen-year-old  school- 
girl to  the  American  Red  Cross :  — 

"It  was  only  a  httle  river  —  almost  a  brook —  it  was  called  the  Yser. 
One  could  talk  from  one  side  to  the  other  without  raising  one's  voice,  and 
the  birds  could  fly  over  it  with  one  sweep  of  their  wings.  And  on  the  two 
banks  there  were  millions  of  men,  the  one  turned  toward  the  other,  eye 
to  eye.  But  the  distance  which  separates  them  was  greater  than  the 
stars  in  the  sky  —  it  was  the  distance  which  separates  right  from  injustice. 

"The  ocean  is  so  vast  that  the  sea-gulls  do  not  dare  to  cross  it.  During 
seven  days  and  seven  nights  the  great  steamships  of  America,  going  at 
full  speed,  drive  through  the  deep  waters  before  the  lighthouses  of  France 
come  into  view  —  but  from  one  side  to  the  other  hearts  are  touching." 

It  was  the  effort  of  the  Red  Cross  to  still  the  cries  of  the 
children  that  went  straight  to  the  heart  of  France.     If  all 

163 


164    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

the  rest  had  been  beyond  our  power,  this  one  thing  would 
have  won  for  us  undying  gratitude.  For  France,  the 
saving  of  the  children  meant  their  future  and  their  world. 

"There  can  be  no  real  victory,"  said  a  Marseilles  newspaper,  "unless 
we  can  successfully  combat  child  mortality.  If  we  consider  the  enormous 
adult  death  rate  for  the  war  period,  we  can  only  conclude  that  after  the 
war  nothing  will  be  left  of  France  but  a  glorious  skeleton  —  glorious  in 
name  but  depleted  in  substance.  The  American  Red  Cross  has  come  to 
aid  us  in  the  fight  for  our  children.  Because  of  this,  if  for  no  other  reason, 
we  owe  the  Society  a  debt  of  unbounded  gratitude  and  affection." 

"If  the  Germans,"  wrote  Alphonse  Seche,  "have  changed  the  idea  of 
war,  the  Americans  are  in  process  of  changing  the  idea  of  alUance.  The 
war  being  everywhere,  menacing  the  race,  our  Allies  have  decided  to  be 
everywhere,  in  the  front  and  in  the  rear ;  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  our 
soldiers,  standing  side  by  side  with  our  mothers  over  the  cradles,  for  the 
preservation  of  our  race." 

The  pictures  of  Toul  and  Evian,  of  Nesle  and  Lyons,  of 
Dinard  and  Dieppe,  of  Caudebec  and  Barenton  and  Issy- 
le-Molineaux,  are  etched  into  the  very  soul  of  France.  They 
are  a  sage  and  cautious  people  these,  who  do  not  wear  their 
hearts  upon  the  sleeve.  The  vivacity  which  is  their  form 
of  expression,  the  politeness  which  is  their  philosophy,  the 
good  manners  which  a  wise  man  has  said  the  French  invented, 
—  these  are  not  France.  They  are  merely  the  habiliment 
of  its  civilization. 

In  America  not  all  the  children  are  clean;  not  all  have 
enough  to  eat.  The  great  East  side  finds  some  occupation 
still  for  the  welfare  worker,  but  I  do  not  believe  America 
has  yet  any  conception  of  the  magnitude  of  the  child  prob- 
lem that  existed  in  France.  The  condition  was  far  worse 
than  even  the  French  people  or  its  government  had  time  in 
the  tumult  and  stress  of  war  to  know.  And  it  was  growing 
even  worse  as  the  war  progressed.  There  was  the  awful 
accumulation  of  refugee  children  from  all  the  departments 
of  the  north  and  from  Belgium  and  the  shifting  fortunes  of 
war ;  the  pitiless  rush  of  the  Huns ;  the  increasing  destruc- 


THE   CHILDREN   OF   FRANCE  165 

tion  from  the  air  and  the  hungry  shells,  always  ranging 
farther,  leaving  more  and  more  little  ones  orphaned  or 
maimed  or  shaken  in  understanding  and  memory.  This 
was  the  greater  company,  the  orphaned  and  the  destitute, 
those  whose  fathers  were  dead  or  at  the  front,  whose  mothers 
were  gone,  and  who  had  none  to  care  for  them. 

Added  to  all  these  was  the  army  of  repatriated  children  — 
including  a  host  from  Belgium  —  who,  like  the  adults  who 
came  over  the  border,  were  suffering  from  the  varied  ills  of 
malnutrition,  if  from  nothing  worse.  That  was  not  the 
whole  story.  Even  the  health  of  the  children  who  had 
homes  was  running  down.  Epidemics  of  local  character 
could  not  be  checked.  The  average  of  doctors  in  America 
is  one  to  500  people ;  in  France,  where  the  call  for  nurses 
and  physicians  at  the  front  had  been  incessant  for  three 
years,  the  ratio  in  1917  was  one  to  several  thousand.  That 
should  tell  its  own  story  to  people  who  have  children  of  their 
own.  The  necessary  lack  of  care  and  the  scarcity  of  proper 
food  made  easy  the  progress  of  disease.  With  all  the  other 
crying  needs  that  confronted  the  Red  Cross  at  that  moment, 
this  peril  to  the  child  life  loomed  high.  Much  of  the  misery 
and  disease  was  only  too  obvious,  but  there  was  a  tremendous 
number  of  children  needing  treatment  whom  it  was  hard  to 
reach  or  even  to  discover.  And,  to  begin  with,  it  was  found 
necessary  to  rid  the  French  people  of  the  fixed  idea  that  the 
American  had  come  to  deal  solely  with  the  soldier.  It  took 
time  to  do  that,  yet  every  moment  of  delay  was  courting 
more  and  more  danger. 

To  accomplish  results,  the  Red  Cross  had  to  provide 
suitable  places  for  operation  and  get  the  children  together 
to  examine  and  sort  out  the  tuberculous  and  contagious 
cases,  to  provide  nurses,  labor,  and  medical  supplies,  den- 
tists and  attendants  and  artisans  to  make  requisite  repairs 
at  a  time  and  in  a  land  where  every  man  who  could  carry 
a  rifle  was  needed  at  the  front.     What  all  of  this  child  army 


166     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

needed  first  was  to  get  clean  and  to  be  fed,  for  the  vast 
majority  of  them  were  hungry,  and  food  of  any  kind  was  not 
plentiful,  —  much  less  the  kind  of  food  they  needed.  In  the 
devastated  regions,  the  Germans  left  nothing !  They  had 
destroyed  even  stoves  and  water  systems,  so  that  in  the 
districts  back  of  portions  of  the  lines  the  first  desiderata 
of  sanitary  or  medical  activity  were  lacking. 

Numberless  little  charities,  organized  by  nuns  or  by 
kindly  women  who  were  heartsick  at  the  spectacle  of  so 
much  misery,  were  trying  in  the  cities  to  do  something  to 
stem  the  tide.  To  these,  the  Red  Cross  made  haste  to  lend 
aid.  Many  of  them,  such  for  example  as  the  refuge  founded 
at  the  Hotel  Biron  by  Madame  Viviani,  wife  of  the  former 
premier  of  France,  developed  into  a  stronghold  of  good. 
In  Moufettard,  Paris,  Mile,  de  Rose  conducted  another 
charity,  which  was  founded  by  Mile,  de  Perignan,  a 
granddaughter  of  Lafayette,  comprising  a  social  center, 
a  home  for  working  girls,  a  model  tenement,  a  vacation 
home  in  the  environs  of  Paris,  and  agricultural  schools  in 
the  country.  It  lacked  a  health  center,  which  the  Red  Cross 
supplied  together  with  a  dispensary  and  clinics  for  chil- 
dren and  mothers ;  it  helped  every  Governmental  effort 
to  cope  with  the  problem.  These  charities  were  chiefly  in 
the  cities.  But  along  the  highways  and  in  the  little  towns 
there  was  great  need  and  no  ray  of  hope.  Then  out  of 
obscurity  rose  the  virile  personality  of  the  Pr^fet  Mirman, 
who,  when  he  shall  have  died  and  gone  to  the  glory  that 
is  his  due,  will  be  the  patron  saint  of  the  department  of  the 
Meurthe  et  Moselle.  Without  Prefet  Mirman,  Toul  would 
have  been  as  it  has  been  for  centuries,  ever  since  Roman 
times,  merely  the  rock-bound  gate  that  has  barred  the 
invaders  of  many  wars  from  the  rich  and  industrious  town 
of  Nancy.  But  the  Prefet,  having  faith  added  to  hope  and 
charity,  believed  the  Americans  meant  what  they  said, 
and  he  gave  to  Toul  a  fame  that  will  never  die. 


THE    CHILDREN   OF   FRANCE  167 

When  Nancy  was  under  fire,  life  there  was  not  worth  a 
whisper,  but  the  artisans  of  the  town  had  to  stay  at  their 
work  for  France  needed  them.  They  are  a  rugged  folk, 
these  workers  of  Nancy.  In  1917,  when  the  gas  shells 
exploded  they  had  been  trained  to  gas  masks  and  worked 
on,  although  the  children,  in  panic,  smothered  and  died 
in  agony.  They  had  no  guard  against  that  ghastly  death. 
On  July  26,  the  Prefet  sent  a  classic  telegram  to  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  American  Fund  for  French  Wounded,  begging 
for  nurses  and  doctors.  They  went  to  the  Red  Cross 
offices  just  opened  ;  that  night  the  chairman  of  the  Secours 
aux  Blesses  left  the  Red  Cross  station  in  Paris  with  three 
camion  loads  of  supplies  and  eleven  doctors  and  nurses. 

As  they  rumbled  into  Toul  in  the  gray  of  the  dawn,  there 
were  five  hundred  women  and  children  swarming  the 
barracks  which  the  French  soldiers  had  abandoned.  All 
was  confusion ;  dirt  and  vermin  were  over  everything.  In 
the  Caserne  de  Luxembourg,  —  a  group  of  barnlike  structures 
on  the  sheltered  plateau  over  Toul,  —  these  women  and 
doctors  swept  and  scrubbed  and  scoured,  installed  beds 
and  chairs  and  tables,  and  business  began. 

It  was  slow  work  luring  the  confidence  of  the  Lorrainers, 
but  the  ice  was  broken ;  and  until  the  spring  of  1918,  when 
the  Huns  pushed  forward  again,  Toul  was  a  lighthouse  of 
mercy  and  health  and  happiness  to  the  children  of  the 
north.  From  that  the  work  was  established  until  it  reached 
Dinard.  It  would  have  made  the  old-time  spendthrifts 
who  dined  and  wined  and  danced  and  flirted  in  the  great 
Hotel  Royal  open  their  eyes  to  see  the  swarm  of  refugee 
children  who,  in  charge  of  the  Red  Cross  doctors,  took  up 
life  there  in  the  wake  of  the  soldiery  that  had  used  it  as  a 
barracks.  They  were  doctored  and  brought  back  by  care 
and  nourishment  to  sturdy  health;  they  went  on  with 
the  schooling  that  is  the  reigning  passion  of  the  French 
child.    The   waifs,  —  the   fatherless   and   motherless  from 


168    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

the  crowded  wards  of  Paris,  and  the  wasted  repatries  from 
the  receiving  station  at  Evian  were  sent  to  find  in  the  salt 
air  and  water  heahng  a  cure  from  the  curse  of  bone  tuber- 
culosis. There  was  clean,  pure  Ufe  there,  a  sowing  of  kind- 
ness that  will  some  day  yield  a  perpetual  harvest  of 
understanding  and  good  will. 

Once  having  set  out  on  children's  relief,  there  was  no 
turning  back.  More  doctors  and  more  nurses,  more  teachers 
and  welfare  workers  kept  coming  from  America.  The  Red 
Cross  saw  the  necessity  for  help  in  some  of  the  French 
schools,  so  work  was  begun  in  them.  ''Unless  we  can 
start  a  canteen  up  here,"  wrote  the  doctor  who  conducted 
the  children's  clinic,  ''in  the  Nineteenth  arrondissement 
of  Paris  and  give  these  children  some  food,  this  children's 
work  is  not  going  to  get  anywhere,  because  what  these 
children  need  is  nourishment  and  I  can't  do  much  till  I  can 
put  something  in  their  stomachs." 

The  school  luncheons  had  been  cut  down,  but  the  Red 
Cross  dietitians  figured  out  the  calories  in  what  was  left  and 
found  that  there  was  need  for  wheat  and  sugar,  so  they  built 
a  Red  Cross  cake  and  added  it  to  the  ration. 

Rapidly  the  child  welfare  problem  grew  into  one  of  the 
most  extensive  branches  of  Red  Cross  work.  Health 
centers  were  opened  in  two  munition  districts  just  outside 
Paris,  with  welfare  workers.  Red  Cross  doctors,  clinics, 
and  visiting  nurses  who  reached  within  a  very  short  time 
three  hundred  families.  It  was  very  sorely  needed.  The 
population  of  the  district  had  increased  greatly;  two 
hundred  munition  factories  had  risen  like  mushrooms  over- 
night, with  110  new  buildings  erected  for  the  workmen  to 
live  in.  The  congestion  was  terrible  and  the  spread  of 
disease  likewise  menacing  when  the  Red  Cross  came  to 
the  rescue. 

A  large  area  of  Paris  was  covered  in  the  same  way.  There 
was  so  much  tuberculosis  among  the  children,  that  child 


/         I 


THE   CHILDREN   OF   FRANCE  169 

welfare  was  combined  with  the  tuberculosis  service,  and 
children's  wards  were  established  in  all  the  tuberculosis 
hospitals.  In  high,  healthy  country  districts,  the  Director 
had  farm  schools  estabhshed  where  weak  children  could  be 
built  up  and  taught  to  make  things  grow.  The  cardinal  test 
of  any  project  was  what  it  promised  for  the  future  of  the 
children  and  of  France.  Boys  were  taught  trades  and  girls 
were  taught  sewing ;  and  among  the  denizens  of  the  poorer 
quarters  were  promulgated  the  magic  of  the  toothbrush 
and  the  rules  of  health  —  for  which  dentists  came  over- 
seas with  all  their  tools. 

Nesle  was  another  of  the  northern  towns  in  the  track  of 
war  which,  after  the  ''strategic  retirement"  of  the  Ger- 
mans, suffered  bitterly.  In  four  towns  about  it  not  a 
house  or  building  of  any  nature  had  been  left  with  one 
stone  on  another.  When  the  Germans  moved  away,  they 
destroyed  everything  that  could  be  of  service  in  any  act 
of  life.  'When  the  Red  Cross  doctors  arrived  in  the  old 
Hotel  de  Nesle  it  was  stripped  bare.  From  the  outlying 
country,  the  children  began  drifting  in,  sullen,  dazed, 
stunned  by  the  horrors  they  had  seen  and  suffered.  And 
none  smiled.  A  Red  Cross  woman,  who  worked  at  Nesle, 
said  that  the  far  horror  in  the  eyes  of  the  children  was  as 
if  they  w^ere  looking  beyond  the  things  of  this  earth  and  into 
the  gates  of  Judgment. 

Here  again  was  a  work  for  Hercules,  and  it  practically 
wore  them  out.  Throughout  the  first  week  all  the  patients 
of  the  clinic  were  Red  Cross  workers.  There  was  no  heat, 
and  for  a  day  or  two  no  gauze  or  bandages  or  dressings; 
but  there  were  twelve  hundred  children  who  needed  care 
and  the  Red  Cross  toiled  away  to  give  it.  It  goes  without 
saying  that  it  cost  much  hardship  to  raise  the  Red  Cross 
flag  at  Nesle ! 

The  Red  Cross  designed,  and  built  in  Paris,  a  traveling 
dispensary  —  an  automobile  hospital,  with  drugs  and  supplies 


170     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

of  all  sorts  and  an  outside  seat  on  which  a  nurse  could  trans- 
port a  sick  child  to  the  hospital.  With  this  mercy  wagon, 
the  workers  went  from  town  to  town  about  the  district. 
Through  the  countryside,  the  children  were  afihcted  with 
skin  diseases  and  with  strange  forms  of  blood  ailment, 
caused  largely  by  malnutrition. 

This  working  for  the  children  of  France  was  a  day  to  day 
and  an  all  day  and  all  night  deaUng  with  the  plain  animal 
facts  of  sick  and  ill-nourished  bodies.  There  were  women 
fighting  the  good  fight  of  the  Red  Cross  against  the  miseries 
of  Europe  who,  perhaps,  have  never  found  the  glory  that 
they  longed  for ;  but  they  found  what  was  better  —  their 
own  mother  hearts  that  they  had  never  known. 

Someone  has  called  Evian  les  Bains  the  ''Gateway  of  a 
Hundred  Sorrows."  It  was  here,  as  the  war  wore  on  and  the 
food  supply  began  to  dwindle,  that  Germany,  balancing  up 
her  efficiency  schedules,  turned  back  into  hungry  France 
the  sorry  army  of  French  and  Belgian  civilians  who  had  been 
taken  from  the  devastated  country  in  the  north  in  the  first 
onrush  of  1914,  and  since  held  in  bondage.  In  the  summer 
of  1917,  this  wretched  jetsam  of  the  German  war  was  herded 
over  the  frontier  at  the  rate  of  a  thousand  or  more  a  day. 
Daily,  for  a  long  time,  two  trains,  morning  and  night, 
rolled  in  from  the  German  border.  A  woman  who  watched 
their  debarkation  day  after  day  said  in  a  letter  at  that  time  : 
''The  curtain  never  falls  at  Evian."  It  was  so.  In  the 
drama  that  France  lived  behind  her  roaring  battle  lines, 
there  was  no  more  somber  scene  than  Evian.  Here,  again, 
as  at  Dinard,  and  other  one-time  resorts  on  the  northern 
coasts,  was  a  gruesome  contrast  with  the  ancient  atmosphere 
of  fashion,  wealth,  and  idleness.  Nesthng  on  the  hills  above 
exquisite  Lake  Geneva,  Evian  was  the  last  setting  to  be 
chosen  for  so  woeful  a  spectacle. 

From  forty  to  sixty  per  cent  of  these  cast-offs  were  chil- 
dren, by  far  the  greater  part  of  them  under  twelve  years  of 


THE   CHILDREN   OF  FRANCE  171 

age.  A  great  number  were  dying  from  tuberculosis,  many 
far  advanced ;  but  all  were  unutterably  dirty,  half  clad, 
worn  to  emaciation  with  sorrow  and  hunger  and  slavery. 
They  were  moribund.  Germany  could  wring  no  more 
unpaid  labor  from  them.  They  had  given  to  the  uttermost 
pfennig's  worth.  The  people  beyond  the  Rhine  picked 
out  those  who  seemed  past  hope  and  sent  them  to  France 
to  be  cared  for.  They  were  a  multitude,  —  and  these  chil- 
dren were  not  riffraff.  Many  of  them  had  known  luxury 
and  the  tenderest  care. 

It  was  all  one  wretched,  miserable  story  after  another; 
and  yet,  from  the  gray  monotony  of  it,  two  cases  seem  to 
stand  out  in  the  memory  of  those  who  saw  them  for  the 
reason  that  they  proclaim  more  clearly  than  others,  perhaps, 
two  saUent  phases  of  German  brutahty :  one  was  a  wisp  of 
a  girl,  just  turned  fourteen,  who  bore  in  her  arms  a  year  old 
boche  baby  ;  and  the  second,  only  a  little  older  and  marked 
with  tuberculosis,  had  for  three  years  worked  twelve  hours  a 
day  in  a  German  coal  mine.  It  is  manifestly  impossible  to 
tell  all  the  stories  of  the  unfortunates  of  Evian  ;  but  thou- 
sands of  them  are  recorded  in  the  files  there  against  the  day 
when  the  world  may  know  the  depth  of  German  iniquity. 

When  the  train  wound  its  way  up  the  grades  into  the  famous 
old  watering  place  there  was  a  band  playing  the  Marseillaise, 
and  the  French  and  Belgian  flags  were  waving.  There  was 
the  Mayor  and  half  the  town  crying  welcome  to  them  — 
welcome  back  to  France  —  and  still  they  did  not  smile. 
French  and  American  stretcher-bearers  boarded  the  trains 
to  take  out  those  that  were  too  crippled  or  too  weak  to  help 
themselves,  and  there  w^ere  Red  Cross  ambulances  there  to 
carry  these  helpless  ones  away  to  the  old  Casino,  which  had 
been  converted  into  a  hospital.  There  were  these  heart- 
breaking processions  every  day,  at  morning  and  evening, 
hundreds  of  children  and  aged  people  at  a  time,  ambling 
on  toward  rest  and  kindly  care,  with  faces  haggard  and 


172     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR' 

drawn  but  singing  out  of  numb  hearts  their  homeland 
songs  ;  and  men  and  women  with  hearts  torn  at  the  picture, 
stood  in  crowds  by  the  wayside  with  tears  raining  down 
their  faces  at  the  misery  and  the  glory  of  it,  and  were  not 
ashamed. 

''The  scene,"  says  the  Chief  of  the  Children's  ReUef, 
in  his  professional  report,  "is  indescribably  emotional." 

The  story  of  Evian  cannot  be  told.  Mothers  and  chil- 
dren met  there  who  had  been  lost  to  each  other  ever  since 
the  Germans  surged  over  Belgium.  It  was  a  great,  over- 
powering drama  of  mingled  sorrow  and  happiness,  of  death 
—  yes,  and  of  resurrection.  These  children  were  marked 
for  death,  but  they  were  caught  in  the  very  nick  of  time. 
And  even  so,  there  were  sad  little  funerals  now  and  then 
wending  through  the  village  streets.  But  as  an  institution 
it  went  with  a  mathematical  precision,  by  every  means 
that  science  or  sentiment  could  devise,  bringing  health  to 
sick  and  exhausted  bodies ;  and  smiles  to  faces  that  one 
might  have  thought  could  never  smile  again.  There  were 
children  who  came  to  Evian,  marked  for  death  in  a  thousand 
wsijs,  but  who,  through  the  ministrations  of  mercy  there, 
will  go  singing  their  way  on  to  the  end  of  their  poor  Uttle 
blasted  hves. 

From  all  the  touching  records  of  the  station  which  are 
held  in  the  archives  of  the  Red  Cross,  I  take  almost  at 
random  this  paragraph  which,  like  a  ray  of  sunlight,  reveals 
the  other  side  of  the  picture :  — 

"He  was  crippled,  horribly  crippled.  Only  his  hands 
and  his  eyes  seemed  to  be  ahve,  but  he  said  proudly  that 
the  Germans  would  never  have  let  him  through  if  they  had 
known  how  many  pairs  of  stockings  he  could  make  in  a  day 
on  his  knitting  machine,  which  we  have  given  him  to  make 
him  forget." 

Among  the  many  hospitals  and  refuges  which  were  estab- 
Ushed  all  over  France  to  receive  this  wreckage,  there  are 


THE   CHILDREN   OF   FRANCE  173 

several  in  the  vicinity  of  Lyons,  chief  of  which  is  the  Chateau 
des  Halles,  built  by  Mangini,  the  great  French  raihoad 
builder,  whose  widow  gave  it  to  the  French  government 
for  use  during  the  war.  Lyons  is  a  child  town ;  and  the 
Red  Cross,  with  a  broad  idea  of  starting  in  France  a  general 
movement  for  child  hygiene,  selected  it  for  the  scene  of  its 
first  child  welfare  exhibits.  The  timid  said  it  wouldn't 
go.  It  was  early  in  April,  1918,  the  great  drive  was  on 
and  two  hundred  miles  to  the  north  men  were  dying  under 
the  German  guns.  Who  could  think  of  expositions?  But 
in  the  week  that  it  was  in  progress  more,  than  100,000 
persons  between  eight  in  the  morning  and  ten  at  night 
crowded  into  the  hall.  There  is  no  doubt  it  was  an  American 
show ;  but  by  the  same  token  it  had  at  its  opening  session 
twelve  hundred  doctors,  lawyers,  government  ofiicials, 
founders  of  hospitals,  and  the  best  citizens  of  Lyons.  For 
the  first  time  in  the  memory  of  man  there  sat  on  the  same 
platform  the  Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Lyons,  the  Prefet  of 
the  Rhone,  the  Mihtary  Governor,  and  the  Mayor  of  the 
town.  Neither  Church  nor  State  could  shut  its  eyes  to  the 
patent  fact  that  here  was  the  path  to  the  salvation  of  France. 
And  it  was  a  great  show !  It  was  a  veritable  field  day  for 
the  toothbrush,  and  an  American  dentist  operated  while 
his  assistant  preached  the  gospel  of  dentifrice. 

There  was,  also,  a  great  demonstration  of  the  sterilization 
of  milk ;  and  outside,  in  the  square,  there  was  a  playground 
with  equipment  for  basketball,  swings,  slides,  sandboxes 
for  babies,  and  all  such  means  of  outdoor  exercise  for  the 
making  of  strong,  sturdy  children. 

In  a  glass  "greenhouse"  in  the  center  of  the  hall  at  regular 
intervals  each  day,  Red  Cross  nurses  washed  French  babies ; 
the  Lyons  mothers  watched  the  whole  process  down  to 
the  sanitary  and  scientific  disposition  of  the  last  towel. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  show,  a  poilu  was  found  by  one  of 
the  nurses  copying  the  dietaries  from  a  poster. 


174     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

''I  can  fight  no  more,"  he  said;  ''when  I  went  to  the 
front  I  had  a  wife  and  seven  children.  My  wife  was  killed 
by  an  air  bomb,  and  the  children  had  no  one  to  care  for 
them  —  so  four  of  them  died.  I  am  reforme,  but  I  can 
work  for  them,  and  now  I  know  what  to  feed  them  to  make 
them  grow  strong.     That  is  the  main  thing." 

These  are  simple,  homely  things.  They  seemed  small 
in  the  vast  tumult  and  upheaval  of  a  world  at  war,  but  out 
of  the  sum  total  of  them,  and  the  French  know  it  well 
enough,  is  coming  that  second  army  which,  now  that  the 
cannon  are  silent,  is  to  win  for  France  the  battle  for  her 
place  among  the  nations  and  so  complete  the  victory  over 
the  Hun. 

By  January  1st,  over  fifty  thousand  of  these  people  had 
passed  through  the  little  station,  and  Evian  had  become 
not  only  a  tragedy  but  a  real  menace  to  the  health  and 
future  of  France. 

Analyzed  from  the  German  standpoint,  there  were  three 
great  primary  purposes  served  in  the  holding  and  the  final 
discharge  of  these  people :  First,  the  labor  which  they 
contributed  was  of  a  cheapness  which,  otherwise,  would 
have  been  impossible.  They  cost  nothing  but  the  bare 
food  to  keep  them  alive,  and,  as  their  condition  showed, 
received  far  less  than  they  needed.  They  were  driven  by 
every  form  of  terrorization  and  abuse  to  do  all  their  wrecked 
bodies  could  endure ;  second,  when  by  reason  of  inevitable 
exhaustion  and  disease  their  labor  no  longer  showed  in  the 
German  accounting  a  balance  of  profit,  the  efficiency  experts 
of  Berlin  converted  them  into  an  active  military  force. 

This  is  not  purely  figurative.  The  plaintive  picture  of 
these  broken  people  at  Evian  does  not  at  first  blush  suggest 
anything  of  military  value ;  they  could  not  operate  artillery 
or  machine  guns  nor  charge  trenches,  but  there  were  deadly 
injuries  which,  properly  utilized,  they  might  inflict  upon 
their  own  country.     Germany  figured  that  the  imloading  of 


THE    CHILDREN    OF    FRANCE  175 

these  people  on  France  would  make  a  serious  draft  upon 
physicians  and  nurses,  money,  hospital  supplies,  clothing, 
and  transportation.  In  all  of  these  France  was  seriously 
reduced ;  third,  and  far  the  more  serious  purpose,  was  to 
undermine  for  all  future  time  the  strength  of  France  by 
weakening  her  child  population  and  distributing  throughout 
her  borders  the  carriers  of  disease. 

France  could  not  know  the  extent  of  Germany's  sup- 
ply of  this  deadly  ammunition.  The  number  of  military 
prisoners  taken  by  the  Germans  was  passably  well  estab- 
lished in  the  Allied  countries,  by  the  army  records  ;  but  of  the 
great  population  of  Belgium  and  northern  France  that  had 
simply  vanished  into  the  tempest  —  there  was  no  means 
of  estimating  how  many  of  these  had  died,  how  many 
remained  to  be  used  as  an  instrument  against  the  welfare 
of  France.  And  the  reserve  forces  for  meeting  it  at  this 
time  were  in  the  worst  possible  condition. 

What  the  Germans  did  not  reckon  on  was  the  assistance 
which  in  this  crisis  came  to  France  from  the  American 
people.  The  American  Red  Cross  was  the  x  quantity  in 
the  equation ;  and  it  was  here  that  with  the  short  vision 
which  in  the  crucial  things  has  seemed  to  be  a  German 
faihng,  the  plans  of  the  Prussian  strategists  went  awry. 

Before  the  coming  of  the  American  Red  Cross,  the  French 
government,  reaUzing  its  danger,  had  made  well-planned 
ejfforts  to  offset  it. 

The  French  government,  the  Comite  de  Service  des 
Repatries  d'Evian  de  Thonon  d'Annemasse,  and  the  Comite 
de  Secours  aux  Repatries  de  Lyon  had  worked  out  a  system 
of  caring  for  the  repatriates,  which  was  prosecuted  with 
what  vigor  and  thoroughness  was  possible.  A  physician 
boarded  each  convoy  train  at  St.  Jingolph,  on  the  Swiss 
border,  to  single  out  such  of  the  company  as  were  too  ill 
to  be  taken  from  the  station  to  the  Casino.  Upon  the 
arrival  of  the  train  these  were    removed  at  once    to  the 


176     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

hospital,  those  badly  exhausted  to  the  rest-house,  and  the 
remainder  were  taken  either  on  foot  or  in  ambulances  to 
the  Casino.  The  first  effort  at  Evian  was  to  restore  the 
repatriates  to  a  mental  state  which  would  facilitate  the 
work  of  their  handhng  and  distribution.  After  being  fed 
and  cheered  up,  they  were  arranged  in  the  great  hall  in 
alphabetical  groups,  and  full  personal  details  taken.  An 
elaborate  system  of  card  indexes  was  established  for  the  pur- 
pose of  fixing  the  identity  of  each  man,  woman,  and  child, 
residence,  remaining  family,  so  far  as  known,  and  their 
whereabouts. 

Telegraphic  inquiries  were  instituted  to  ascertain  if  the 
repatriate  had  friends  or  relatives  remaining  to  whom  he 
could  be  sent.  If  there  were  none,  he  was  forwarded  to  some 
prefecture  in  the  center,  west,  southwest,  or  southeast,  to 
be  located  permanently  by  the  prefet.  Houses  vacated  by 
the  war  were  used  for  this  purpose,  as  well  as  for  housing 
of  refugees,  the  government  making  an  allowance  for  main- 
tenance. A  system  of  colored  tags  such  as  is  used  in  America 
for  immigrants,  was  employed  to  facilitate  distribution. 
Only  in  some  such  way  could  these  swarms  be  handled. 
The  sick  were  housed  according  to  the  nature  of  their  illness, 
and  on  recovery  the  children  whose  friends  could  not  be 
found  were  sent  to  institutions,  chiefly  those  near  Lyons. 
Old  persons,  not  claimed,  were  dispatched  to  formations 
created  by  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior. 

It  was  obvious,  however,  that  with  the  continuance  of 
these  deliveries,  the  facilities  for  their  disposal  would  soon 
be  overtaxed,  and  the  repatriates  would  become  what 
Germany  had  intended  —  an  unbearable  burden  and  a 
menace  both  to  France  and  to  our  army. 

So  the  Red  Cross  set  about  assisting  the  French  in  the 
development  of  further  hospital  facilities  and  transportation 
for  patients,  and  the  provision  of  dispensary  service  at  the 
Evian  Casino,  so  that  every  repatriate  could  receive  prompt 


THE    CHILDREN   OF   FRANCE  177 

medical  inspection  and  care;  also,  of  the  establishment  of 
convalescent  hospitals  for  those  recovering  after  treatment. 
A  large  hotel  was  converted  into  a  hospital,  and  then  the 
beautiful  Chateau  des  Halles  was  taken  over  from  the  city 
of  Lyons,  to  which  it  had  been  given  by  its  owner  for  use 
as  a  children's  convalescent  hospital. 

The  dispatch  of  the  tuberculous  was  attended  with  some 
difficulty  but  was  soon  satisfactorily  adjusted.  Meantime, 
largely  through  the  aid  of  the  Lyons'  committees,  the 
expansion  of  the  convalescent  system  was  continued.  The 
people  of  Evian  objected  to  any  permanent  hospitals 
in  their  neighborhood,  particularly  for  the  tuberculous. 
Evian  was,  and  remained,  a  clearing  house  in  which  the 
whole  solution  of  the  repatriate  problem  of  France  had  its 
center. 

For  what  reason  the  German  government  chose  to  make 
its  deUveries  of  repatriates  intermittently  has  never  been 
disclosed ;  but  there  were  intervals  when  for  a  fortnight 
these  deliveries  were  wholly  discontinued.  These  were  of 
the  greatest  importance,  as  in  every  instance  they  chanced 
to  coincide  with  the  requirements  of  the  Red  Cross  or- 
ganizers for  time  to  get  their  equipment  in  order,  and  gave 
the  French  Committee  breathing  space  to  enlarge  its  facilities 
for  handhng  the  repatriates  both  at  Evian  and  at  the  second 
stage  in  the  orphanages  and  hospitals  at  Lyons.  In  the 
interval  from  October  15th  to  November  5th,  the  staff  of 
Red  Cross  nurses  from  Paris  and  new  supphes  of  hospital 
equipment  and  materials  were  taken  to  Evian,  and  the 
hospitals  received  a  large  number  of  cases  and  were  in 
good  running  order  before  convoys  were  resumed. 

With  the  advent  of  the  Red  Cross  forces  came  a  great 
increase  in  the  speed  and  efficacy  of  the  work  at  Evian. 
The  medical  service  was  combined  with  social  welfare  work, 
and  repatriate  mothers,  who  awaited  children  under  treat- 
ment, were  organized  into  a  working  force.     What  impressed 


178     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

the  French  was  not  alone  the  rapidity  and  thoroughness  of 
the  American  staff  in  handhng  their  cases,  which  quickly 
ran  into  thousands,  but  the  range  of  their  efforts.  When 
a  sick  repatriate  child  went  out  of  Evian,  he  had  not  only 
been  far  advanced  toward  cure  of  his  ailment,  but  every 
physical  tendency  had  been  charted,  his  teeth  fixed  up, 
his  dietary  and  exercise  prescribed,  and  his  mother  in- 
structed in  the  essentials  of  hygiene  and  sanitation  and 
provided  with  a  manual  of  simple  instruction.  The  new 
and,  obviously,  vital  factor  in  all  this  work,  as  shown  in  the 
French  Committee's  report,  was  the  tact  and  sympathy 
of  the  American  workers,  from  the  doctors  down,  but  the 
system  was  severely  thorough.  At  the  request  of  the 
French  authorities,  parents  were  permitted  to  visit  children 
in  isolation  hospitals,  but  they  were  supplied  with  caps  and 
gowns,  and  were  compelled  tb  wash  their  hands  and  faces 
in  antiseptic  solutions  before  leaving. 

If  there  be  any  doubt  concerning  the  contribution  that 
the  American  people  has  made  through  its  commission  to 
the  Red  Cross,  Evian  with  its  correlated  hospitals  and  rest 
places,  its  competent  medical  work  and  its  correlated 
demonstration  of  the  value  of  hygienic  methods  among  the 
French  working  people,  would  be  sufficient  to  dispel  it. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

SWITZERLAND    THE    CENTRAL   STATION 

International  Committee  at  Geneva  —  International  Agency  for  Prisoners 
of  War  —  Swiss  Activities  in  the  Interest  of  Prisoners  —  Reports 
on  Prison  Camps  —  Great  Scarcity  of  Food  and  Supplies  in  Switzer- 
land —  Gift  of  the  American  Red  Cross  to  the  Swiss  —  Food  for 
American  Prisoners  Sent  through  the  Red  Cross  —  Receipt  Cards  — 
Communication  Service  Enlarged  through  the  Committee  at  Berne  — 
Red  Cross  Commission  to  Switzerland  —  Hospital  for  Tuberculous 
Serbian  Officers  —  The  Swiss  Evacuee  Problem  —  Italian  Problems 
in  Switzerland  —  Help  for  Belgian  Children  —  Number  and  Isola- 
tion of  Prison  Camps  —  Process  of  Locating  Prisoners  and  Providing 
for  Them  Thoroughly  Systematized  —  Money  Sent  Prisoners  Paid 
in  German  Prison  Script. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  that  our  experience  in  the  past 
war,  with  its  imperious  demands  for  big  things  to  be 
done  in  a  hurry,  for  unheard-of  production  both  of  men  and 
materials,  has  given  us  an  accurate  measure  of  what  we  can 
accomplish  when  our  brains  and  hands  are  fairly  put  to  the 
test,  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that  it  would  not  be  a  good  thing 
for  some  millions  of  self-satisfied  Americans  to  discover 
that  there  are  some  remarkable  people  in  the  world  besides 
themselves.  Take  the  Swiss  people,  for  instance :  Switzer- 
land, as  we  all  know,  was  the  parent  of  the  Red  Cross 
throughout  the  world,  and  when  the  storm  broke  the  Inter- 
national Committee  at  Geneva,  with  no  resources  other 
than  its  own,  struggled  bravely  with  a  problem  which  was 
great  at  best  but  the  magnitude  of  which  was  doubled  by 
its  nearness. 

For  Switzerland  entertained  no  doubts  regarding  her 

179 


180     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

position  in  the  war.  There  was,  to  be  sure,  the  great  natural 
barrier  of  the  Alps,  but  living  as  she  did  in  the  very  middle 
of  the  war,  with  cannon  echoing  on  all  her  borders,  it  was 
absolutely  necessary  that  she  keep  an  army  of  half  a  milUon 
men  in  a  high  state  of  preparedness,  a  compulsory  service 
that  cost  her  not  a  few  million  francs. 

None  the  less,  there  was  no  phase  of  Red  Cross  activity  in 
which  the  Swiss  were  not  engaged  with  all  the  determination 
and  foresight  that  they  possess  to  so  great  a  degree.  It  is 
not  possible,  of  course,  to  discuss  all  their  efforts.  Lest, 
however,  our  Red  Cross  should  be  inclined  to  boast  of  the 
successful  attempt  we  made  to  care  for  our  prisoners  of  war 
in  Germany,  it  will  be  salutary  to  know  that  the  Swiss  Red 
Cross  began  the  formulation  of  the  system  and  laid  its 
groundwork  in  1914.  Its  own  view  of  its  achievement  has 
been  modestly  recorded  thus  :  1914,  improvisation ;  1915- 
1916,  organization;  1917,  coordination.  Consequently, 
when  the  United  States  finally  came  into  the  war,  the  Inter- 
national Agency  for  Prisoners  of  War  was  a  well-run  and  well- 
equipped  organization.  And  that  same  year  the  Prix  de 
Vertu  Charrau  and  the  Nobel  Peace  Prize  were  awarded 
to  the  International  Committee  in  recognition  of  its  work 
in  the  cause  of  humanity  and  charity. 

Despite  the  obstacles  that  stood  in  the  way,  a  complete 
file  was  kept  —  always  open  for  consultation  —  of  evacuated, 
repatriated,  and  deceased  prisoners.  There  was  an  Entente 
Department  with  a  section  for  Greece  which  forwarded 
correspondence  to  prisoners  at  Gorlitz ;  a  section  for  France 
concerning  itself  chiefly  with  search  for  the  dead  and  the 
missing;  another  for  Russia  working  through  the  German 
Red  Cross  into  Poland ;  and  still  another  for  Great  Britain 
which  sent  money  to  British  prisoners  in  enemy  countries. 
Besides  these,  there  was  correspondence  with  occupied 
Serbia,  not  to  mention  a  department  for  the  Central  Empires. 

At  the  same  period,  the  Bureau  International  de  la  Paix 


SWITZERLAND   THE   CENTRAL  STATION  181 

was  handling  some  350  letters  a  day  to  and  from  prison  camps 
and  all  parts  of  the  field  of  war,  seeking  the  missing,  finding 
the  burial  places  of  the  dead,  and  sending  to  sorrowing 
people  the  only  small  comfort  they  could  ever  hope  for. 

Here  is  a  paragraph  from  a  report  of  one  of  their 
members :  — 

"I  cannot  refrain  from  adding  an  optimistic  note  to  this  account 
of  our  efforts  to  mitigate  so  much  sadness  and  suffering.  And  ha\ang 
opened  hundreds  of  letters  from  German  families,  after  filing  thousands 
of  letters  from  French,  English,  and  Belgian  famihes,  I  arrive  at  the  con- 
clusion that  the  mentality  of  the  great  masses  who  are  passing  through  the 
anguish  of  doubt  and  despair  is  of  moral  quality  much  more  elevated 
than  one  could  have  believed.  It  goes  without  saying  that  we  have 
strange  revelations,  to  say  no  more,  about  the  private  life  of  certain 
families.  It  remains  none  the  less  true  that  in  the  uncouth  letters  of 
ignorant  women,  peasants  and  working  women,  whether  thej'  come  from 
the  mountains  of  Bavaria  or  those  of  Auvergne,  from  the  coast  of  Flanders 
or  that  of  Scotland,  one  often  finds  expressions  of  gratitude,  of  serenity, 
of  confidence,  which  moisten  the  eyelids,  even  though  they  are  the  eyelids 
of  an  old  practitioner.  It  is  still  among  the  humble  and  the  disinherited 
of  this  world  that  the  Carpenter  of  Nazareth  has  disciples  after  his  own 
heart." 

As  far  back  as  1917  delegates  from  Switzerland  had  been 
sent  to  Germany,  Austria,  Belgium,  France,  Spain,  Den- 
mark, England,  Sweden,  Egypt,  and  India  to  inspect  and 
report  on  the  prison  camps.  Arrangements  were  made  for 
correspondence  with  the  occupied  regions  of  France,  Alsace, 
Belgium,  and  Rumania  and  for  the  repatriation  of  women, 
children,  the  aged,  and  the  sick,  that  they  should  no  longer 
be  repatriated  in  groups,  but  that  each  case  must  be  taken 
up  individually. 

The  International  Committee  overlooked  nothing  for 
which  warrant  existed  in  the  articles  of  the  convention  or 
the  rules  of  war  in  its  care  for  the  interests  of  imprisoned 
men ;  and,  as  a  result  of  many  complaints,  following  the 
visits  of  its  delegates  to  the  prison  camps,  it  made  insistent 


182     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

demand  upon  the  belligerents  for  recognition  of  the  right 
of  imprisoned  men  to  a  decent  allotment  of  space  and  ade- 
quate measure  of  exercise  to  maintain  health.  Moreover, 
it  urged  upon  all  the  countries  at  war  the  wisdom  of  per- 
mitting their  officers,  when  imprisoned,  to  give  their  parole 
as  justification  for  freedom  of  movement.  And  that  the 
attitude  of  the  Swiss  throughout  the  trying  period  of  the 
war  was  most  admirable  and  ideally  neutral,  is  shown  in  the 
statement  from  the  "General  Catalogue  covering  the  Benev- 
olent Work  of  Switzerland  during  the  Present  War": 
"Switzerland  gave  to  French  prisoners  250,000  kilos  of  bread, 
while  nearly  4,000,000  letters  for  prisoners  of  war  were 
handled  in  August,  1916.  .  .  ."  (The  Swiss  post-office  had 
become  a  benevolent  institution.) 

A  fairly  accurate  idea  of  the  extent  of  Swiss  activi- 
ties follows :  for  the  forwarding  of  letters  and  the  trans- 
fer of  money  to  prisoners,  they  went  to  not  a  little 
pains  to  perfect  their  system ;  they  fought  for  changes  in 
the  postal  regulations  of  warring  countries  which  should 
simplify  and  expedite  the  process  of  transfer;  they  placed 
freely  at  the  disposition  of  the  belligerents  every  service 
that  Switzerland's  government  or  its  civilian  population, 
for  that  matter,  could  render  looking  to  prisoners'  relief; 
in  conjunction  with  the  Danish  Red  Cross,  —  which  early  in 
1918  sent  a  delegate  to  Geneva,  —  the  International  Society 
moved  for  the  establishment  at  Paris  of  a  bureau  analogous 
to  that  founded  by  the  Danish  Red  Cross  at  Berhn.  Its 
object  was  to  provide  mental  relief  to  prisoners  by  means  of 
books,  games,  and  sports ;  to  secure  admission  to  personal 
relation  with  the  prisoners ;  to  look  after  the  food  supplies 
and  the  inspection  of  camps ;  and  it  secured  the  promise  of 
this  arrangement  in  behalf  of  German  prisoners  on  condition 
of  complete  reciprocity  by  Germany. 

The  reports  on  the  prison  camps  were  thorough  and 
enlightening. 


SWITZERLAND  THE  CENTRAL  STATION  183 

In  January,  1918,  the  Society  had  been  obhged  to  abohsh 
the  delivery  of  food  packages  to  the  section  camps  because 
the  expenses  were  growing  with  the  increase  of  prisoners. 
Assistance  was  lacking ;  food  was  scarce  ;  and  the  reserves 
had  been  used  up.  Moreover,  there  were  more  and  more 
French  arriving  and  they  did  not  receive  the  packages  sent 
—  in  many  cases  not  even  so  much  as  one  a  month.  Com- 
plaint was  made  that  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  camps  was 
bad.  There  was  plaintive  cry  for  help  to  enable  the  Society 
to  render  assistance  to  sick  prisoners.  Away  back  in  1917, 
the  Committee  had  been  fighting  against  the  growing 
meagerness  of  the  food  supply.  The  reflection  of  conditions 
in  the  German  and  Austrian  camps,  from  the  Committee's 
reports,  was  not  cheerful.  A  fund  was  urged  to  secure 
food  with  reasons  as  follows  :  — 

"The  prisoners  suffer  more  and  more  from  hunger.  The 
food  they  receive  from  Germany  and  Austria  is  insufficient. 
Their  rations  are  the  same  as  those  allowed  the  civil  popu- 
lation but  do  not  equal  those  of  the  armies.  Some  of  the 
causes  for  increased  mortality  among  prisoners  might  be 
successfully  combated  if  it  were  possible  to  get  food.  In 
Rumania  the  mortality  has  increased  three  hundred  and 
forty-five  fold  above  normal." 

Everywhere  war  and  war  makers  were  consuming  the 
supplies.  The  civilian  populations  were  taking  in  their 
belts.  Societies  of  women  in  every  country  in  Europe  were 
scraping  little  supplies  of  food  together,  but  daily  these 
dwindled.  The  French  and  English  prisoners  lived  almost 
exclusively  on  food  sent  from  France  and  overburdened 
little  Switzerland,  and  prayed  that  it  might  not  fail.  Sup- 
plies were  sent  from  Switzerland  to  the  Belgians ;  the  internal 
Italians  had  little  save  the  Swiss  donations ;  while  great 
numbers  of  Russian  prisoners  —  held  in  the  part  of  France 
occupied  by  the  Germans  —  were  slowly  starving  to  death, 
although  Switzerland  was  sending  them  a  share  of  its  victuals. 


184    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Imprisoned  Rumanians  had  fifty  kilos  of  food  a  month  from 
Sweden  and  there  were  79,000  of  them,  —  all  of  which  distri- 
bution resolved  itself  into  a  mathematical  problem  of  no 
small  proportion. 

''It  is  absolutely  impossible,"  said  the  Swiss  Committee, 
"to  get  the  necessary  food  in  Europe.  In  Asia  and  China 
it  is  equally  impossible.  It  is,  therefore,  necessary  that  the 
supplies  for  the  prisoners  of  war  must  come  from  either 
North  or  South  America ;  it  is  also  of  equal  importance 
that  the  question  be  settled  before  the  coming  winter,  when 
new  restrictions  governing  the  work  of  neutrals  shall  be  in 
force  and  whereby  the  prisoners  will  receive  less  and  less 
from  the  Austro-Germans." 

To  say  the  least  no  more  dismal  outlook  is  conceivable  than 
that  wliich  Switzerland,  the  innocent  bystander,  faced  with 
pockets  and  granaries  alike  empty.  She  was  fairly  mother- 
ing the  multitudinous  waifs  of  Serbia,  whose  sufferings  under 
the  bitter  Austrian  onslaught  had  passed  all  power  of  de- 
scription. In  Geneva  and  Berne  there  were  bureaus 
organized  to  give  the  Serbians  help,  but  the  transportation 
was  hard  and  uncertain,  and  the  Serbs  went  on  dying.  The 
Swiss  cities  were  full,  as  was  France,  of  Serbian  officers 
and  men  who  were  sick  and  penniless  and  dying  of  tuber- 
culosis ;  but,  for  all  that,  they  were  happy  in  their  estate 
when  contrasted  with  the  wretched  remnants  elsewhere. 
The  cantons  were  overrun  with  the  sick  and  homeless  of  all 
the  world.  The  cities  were  crowded  with  representatives 
of  every  country  till  in  Berne  and  Geneva  there  was  not  a 
house  to  be  had  for  love  or  money. 

The  picture  that  had  been  painted  of  prisoners'  life  in 
the  German  and  Austrian  prison  camps  had  made  them 
more  than  a  thing  of  dread  than  even  the  cannons  or  the 
gas.  The  subterfuge  of  food,  which  Kultur  spat  upon  before 
it  was  proffered,  the  filth,  the  crowding,  the  merciless  labor, 
the  cold  and  the  brutal  usage  —  these  were  the  softest  forms 


SWITZERLAND  THE   CENTRAL  STATION  185 

of  vengeance  that  the  repatriate  prisoners  of  AlHed  nations 
reported  when  they  came  back  from  their  confinement. 

Facing  such  possibihties,  the  heavily  handicapped  Swiss 
organization  for  prisoners'  rehef  was  as  the  shadow  of  a  great 
rock  in  a  weary  land.  The  American  Red  Cross  gave  the 
Swiss  S125,000,  to  assist  in  work  among  their  own  destitute 
Swiss  population  and  the  Allied  troops  and  civilians  in  transit 
from  Germany  and  Austria.  There  were  at  the  opening  of 
the  war  only  about  75  Americans  interned  in  Germany, 
chiefly  the  members  of  merchant  crews  from  American 
vessels.  But  as  the  American  soldier  began  to  take  his 
place  in  the  French  battle  line  the  number  slowly  grew.  In 
the  spring  of  1918  the  Red  Cross,  through  the  International 
Committee  in  Berne,  was  supplying  food,  clothing,  and  other 
needed  things  —  for  account  of  the  Government  —  to  230 
Americans  scattered  among  the  detention  pens  of  Germany. 
The  Red  Cross  box  weighed  ten  pounds,  —  four  of  which  went 
to  every  man  each  fortnight,  —  and  contained  two  and  one 
half  pounds  of  corned  beef,  two  pounds  of  bread,  one  pound 
of  biscuits,  one  pound  of  sugar,  three  quarters  of  a  pound  of 
pork  and  beans,  one  fifth  of  a  pound  of  cocoa,  one  pound  of 
coffee,  a  pound  of  oleomargarine,  half  a  pound  of  soap,  and 
fifty  cigarettes.  While  this  hst  was  standard  it  was  varied 
from  time  to  time. 

The  Swiss  Committee  had  devised  a  system  of  receipt 
cards  upon  which  the  prisoner  himself  acknowledged 
receipt  of  the  delivery.  If  the  card  did  not  return,  in- 
vestigation was  started  through  the  German  and  Swiss 
Red  Cross  or  through  the  Spanish  embassy  at  Berlin.  There 
was  also  space  on  the  card  for  the  recipient  to  indicate  any 
articles  of  which  he  might  stand  in  need.  Letters  received 
from  the  prison  camps  showed  that  American  prisoners  lived 
wholly  on  the  food  sent  by  the  Red  Cross  and  turned  over 
their  prison  rations  to  the  unfortunates  of  other  countries.  In 
a  year  the  Red  Cross  had  sent  to  the  stores  in  Berne  for  dis- 


186    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

tribution  to  American  prisoners  tons  upon  tons  of  supplies 
which  included  food,  clothing,  tobacco,  soap,  mending  out- 
fits, toilet  cases,  stationery,  pencils,  shoe  laces,  brushes,  and 
other  useful  things  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Incidentally,  the  Quartermaster's  Department  was  unable 
to  help  as  much  as  was  expected.  Upon  our  entry  into  the 
war  it  was  prepared  to  furnish  supplies  of  food  to  last  10,000 
men  six  months  ;  but  the  burden  of  ocean  traffic  was  so  great 
in  the  transport  of  men  and  military  materials  that  only  in 
the  spring  of  1918  were  these  supplies  beginning  to  arrive 
in  Switzerland. 

It  was  early  in  the  year  that  the  Red  Cross  decided  to 
increase  the  scope  of  its  communication  service.  Organized, 
primarily,  to  maintain  a  source  of  dependable  information 
for  relatives  concerning  men  in  army  service,  to  search  for 
the  missing,  to  find  in  the  haystack  of  war's  confusion  the 
needles  of  fact  for  which  anxious  families  at  home  were 
waiting  regarding  their  men  at  the  front,  the  service  was 
now  expanded  to  furnish  information,  through  the  Com- 
mittee at  Berne,  concerning  American  prisoners  and  to  es- 
tablish, where  possib^  communication  between  them  and 
their  families.  The  Bureau  was  also  licensed  as  the  sole 
agency  for  the  transmission  of  money  to  American  prisoners 
in  Germany.  It  undertook  to  maintain  communication 
between  persons  in  this  country  and  their  relatives  or  friends 
in  every  territory.  But  it  was  not  until  June,  1918,  that  the 
United  States  Government  arranged  through  the  Swiss 
Government  and  the  Spanish  Embassy  in  Berlin  to  intern 
American  invalid  prisoners  in  Switzerland. 

As  easily  as  can  be  imagined,  the  rapidly  growing  num- 
bers of  American  soldiers  in  Europe  made  it  necessary  to 
provide  fully  for  the  care  of  such  as  might  be  taken 
prisoners ;  and  with  this  purpose  in  view  the  Red  Cross  in 
June  of  1918  appointed  a  Commission  to  Switzerland  to  super- 
intend all  relief  work  for  both  American  and  Allied  prisoners, 


SWITZERLAND  THE  CENTRAL  STATION  187 

and  citizens  of  Allied  powers  resident  in  Switzerland,  and  to 
aid  the  Swiss  in  their  efforts  to  relieve  the  universal  suffering. 
The  budget  of  the  Commission  for  this  work  to  December 
31st,  called  for  a  total  of  $1,972,323.75.  Up  to  that  time 
the  Red  Cross  expenditure  had  been  only  $200,000,  of  which 
$75,000  was  for  the  care  of  the  interned  Russians. 

I  have  already  said  that  the  position  of  Switzerland  was 
desperate.  Stripped  of  food  by  the  flood  of  people  that 
either  passed  through  her  territory  or  were  quartered  upon 
her,  she  was  between  the  upper  and  nether  millstones : 
Germany  was  in  a  position  to  shut  off  her  supply  of  fuel, 
and  France  could  forbid  her  food.  Meantime,  the  tourists, 
who  were  her  chief  source  of  revenue,  were  absent  and  in 
their  stead  came  a  tremendous  inflow  of  hungry,  half-clothed 
people  from  everywhere,  — a  vast  army  of  mouths  for  which, 
in  the  name  of  common  humanity,  food  must  be  found. 

To  relieve  Switzerland  herself  was  part  of  the  task  of  the 
American  Red  Cross  Commission,  which  proceeded  to  adjust 
the  supply  and  storage  system  for  prisoners  by  the  establish- 
ment of  houses  at  a  small  town,  near  Lausanne,  and  at  Biim- 
pliz  in  the  outskirts  of  Berne,  where  new  buildings  were  erected ; 
the  Commission,  also,  made  a  review  of  the  difficulties  be- 
setting the  Swiss  organization,  which  resulted  in  a  contribu- 
tion of  500,000  francs  to  be  used  solely  for  the  Swiss  Red 
Cross  work  among  the  Swiss  population  and  for  the  relief 
of  Allied  troops  or  Allied  civilians  in  transit  from  Germany 
and  Austria.  This  action,  suspending  as  it  did  the  drain 
on  the  Swiss  organization,  caused  great  happiness  among  the 
Swiss  people,  while  there  was  strong  disapproval  in  Berlin. 
Definite  arrangements  were  also  made  for  distribution  of 
relief  to  the  destitute  Russians. 

At  Leysin,  the  Commission  found  a  concrete  house  con- 
taining seventy-five  rooms,  each  having  an  outside  sleeping- 
porch,  which  it  proceeded  to  take  over  and  prepare  for  a 
hospital  for  tuberculous  Serbian  officers.     Medical  attend- 


188     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

ance  was  provided  by  the  Swiss  and  the  Red  Cross  made  a 
per  diem  allowance  for  each  patient.  This  work,  I  wish  to 
add,  was  planned  with  the  cooperation  of  the  Serbian 
minister. 

Switzerland,  too,  had  its  repatriate  problem,  or  rather 
evacues  problem.  The  poor  wretches  —  women,  young 
children,  and  old  men,  whom  the  Germans  had  taken  from 
their  homes  in  northern  France  —  were  coming  into  Swiss 
territory  at  the  rate  of  1200  a  day.  Many  of  them  had 
walked  miles  to  the  train,  and  their  feet  were  bruised  and 
swollen.  All  had  ridden  for  two  or  three  days,  unfed,  un- 
washed, uncared  for.  With  only  brief  notice  Germany  had 
begun  unloading  these  sorry  folk  at  Basle  in  November  of 
1917.  A  local  committee  had  provided  225,000  francs 
toward  caring  for  them,  which  began  with  facilities  for 
washing  in  the  railway  station  and  a  small  infirmary  such 
as  the  Red  Cross  maintains  at  its  canteen  stations  in  America. 
There  was  a  room  for  feeding  the  wanderers,  a  special  car 
for  bathing  and  dressing  babies,  and  a  storeroom  for  clothing 
and  necessities.  The  Swiss  Government  fed  them,  while 
other  necessities,  including  clothing,  were  provided  by 
charity.  As  at  Evian  in  France,  an  elaborate  card  index 
system  of  information  was  maintained  by  volunteer  women 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  information  which  might  assist 
in  reuniting  families.  It  was  the  same  old  picture  of  sickness, 
dirt  and  misery  that  we  have  seen  in  France,  repellant  but 
heartbreaking  in  its  appeal. 

From  Bouveret  these  wayfarers  were  distributed  through 
southern  France,  and  10,000  of  them  passed  weekly  through 
the  confines  of  Switzerland  on  their  way  to  homes  that  were 
far  away  and  that  would  only  be  accessible  when  the  Germans 
should  be  beaten  back. 

There  was  an  Italian  problem,  too.  Indeed,  there  was  no 
problem  that  Switzerland  did  not  have  !  At  Buchs,  where 
2500  Italian  soldiers  poured  through  each  month  on  their 


SWITZERL.\ND  THE  CENTRAL  STATION  189 

way  back  into  Italy,  the  American  Red  Cross  established  a 
canteen.  These  returning  Italians  were  sorry  pilgrims,  — 
many  of  whom  were  badly  wounded  while  others  were  tuber- 
culous, lacking  in  underclothing,  stockings  and,  in  many 
cases,  were  without  shoes.  Moreover,  most  of  them  were 
half  starved,  or  worse,  since  almost  every  train  had  its 
quota  of  those  who  had  been  unable  to  stand  the  ordeal  of 
the  journey  and  had  died  on  the  way. 

In  addition  there  was  a  great  army  of  interned  soldiers  in 
Switzerland  who  were  looked  after  by  the  officers  of  the  Swiss 
army.  The  minds  of  many  of  them  had  been  shaken  by  the 
shocks  of  war  and  the  deprivations  and  maltreatment  of 
the  Teuton  prison  camps,  and  with  nothing  to  occupy  their 
minds  or  engross  their  attention  they  were  a  great  and  grow- 
ing menace.  Various  societies  were  formed  to  furnish  them 
with  employment  in  workrooms,  in  the  manufacture  of 
leather  goods,  glassware,  beadwork,  portable  houses,  fur- 
niture, and  various  other  things.  In  many  instances  these 
men  were  barely  fit  to  work ;  while  others  had  been  idle  so 
long  that  they  had  lost  the  faculty  of  working.  The  output 
of  these  ateliers  was  sent  to  America  and  found  immediate 
sale.  The  first  problem  was  raw  material,  for  the  Swiss 
resources  were  no  longer  able  to  provide  for  them  or  to  pay 
the  freight  of  the  products  to  the  American  market.  The 
Red  Cross  devoted  750,000  francs  to  the  establishment  of 
these  workrooms  and  training-schools  for  soldiers  interned 
in  Switzerland  and  founded  a  bureau  for  the  sale  of  their 
products  in  America.  Over  $40,000  worth  of  these  things 
were  sold  within  a  year. 

Two  workrooms  for  making  hospital  and  relief  supplies 
were  added  by  the  Red  Cross.  The  places  were  reconstructed 
and  re-equipped  for  extended  production  of  regular  standard 
Red  Cross  supplies,  needy  women  being  employed  in  their 
manufacture.  Much  of  the  product,  such  as  underwear 
for  women  and  children,  was  used  immediately  at  Basle. 


190     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

In  Geneva  there  was  an  American  Red  Cross  Chapter  con- 
ducting workrooms  at  the  Palais  Eynard.  The  Commission 
planned  to  establish  units  of  Americans  at  Zurich,  St.  Gaul, 
and  Lucerne  who  might  be  relied  upon  for  assistance  when 
American  soldiers  should  come  to  be  interned  in  Switzerland. 

But  it  did  not  end  there :  at  Fribourg  there  were  2000 
Belgian  children  who  had  been  under  the  protection  of 
the  American  Red  Cross  Commission  of  Belgium,  and  their 
numbers  grew  steadily  with  successive  evacuations ;  Switzer- 
land was  full  of  tuberculous,  of  all  ages  and  races  and  degrees 
of  helplessness.  Swarms  of  civilian  Serbs  were  crying  for 
help  from  desolate  Serbia  whose  sufferings  at  that  time  were 
terrible !  The  Red  Cross  proposed  the  sending  of  a  Swiss- 
American  relief  force  to  Belgrade  to  estabhsh  a  dispensary 
and  distribute  relief.  There  was  trouble  over  the  Italian 
prisoners  in  Austria  for  whom  Italy  could  not  care.  Italian 
societies  were  ready  to  relieve  them,  but  food  and  clothing 
were  unobtainable.  There  was  no  doubt  of  their  appalling 
condition.  Those  who  passed  through  Buchs  gave  proof 
enough  that  all  the  harrowing  tales  were  true.  Innumer- 
able packages,  sent  by  friends  from  Italy  and  from  the  two 
Americas,  never  found  their  destination  or  were  worthless 
from  bad  packing.  There  was  undoubtedly  an  improvement 
in  the  whole  prison  camp  situation  in  the  German  and  Aus- 
trian territory  —  more  prompt  and  certain  delivery  of  food 
shipments.  Upon  packages  sent  to  American  prisoners  from 
Berne  the  record  showed  that  the  system  functioned  per- 
fectly. Ninety-five  per  cent  of  these  were  delivered  without 
interference,  and  the  condition  of  the  camps  where  Americans 
were  detained  was  reported  as  good.  Food  conditions  in 
Germany  were  stringent.  Returning  prisoners  said  that 
where  the  packages  were  received  the  prisoners  fared  better 
than  their  keepers. 

There  were  in  Germany  twenty-seven  prison  camps,  of 
which  Tuchel  near  Danzig  was  selected  to  be  the  chief  place 


SWITZERLAND   THE    CENTRAL   STATION  191 

of  detention  of  Americans.  In  nearly  all  the  twenty-seven 
centers,  among  them  Tuchel,  Berlin,  Havelberg,  Parchim, 
Brandenburg,  Cassel,  Langensalza,  Cologne,  Siegburg, 
Aachen,  Limburg,  Mainz,  Giessen,  Darmstadt,  Heidelberg, 
Karlsruhe,  Villingen,  Rastatt,  Bayreuth,  and  Landshut, 
there  were  American  captives  in  June,  1918,  either  captured 
soldiers  or  seafarers  who  had  been  collected  from  submarined 
ships.  There  were  reports  from  231  men,  and  to  all  of  them 
packages  were  being  sent  from  the  warehouses  at  Berne  by 
the  Red  Cross,  acting  as  distributing  agent  for  the  Army  or 
Navy  which  provided  the  supplies.  Villingen  was  the  camp 
for  the  officers. 

Data  obtainable  in  midsummer  indicated  that  there  were 
about  200  more  captured  Americans  who  had  not  yet  been 
located  permanently.  There  was  food  enough  then  stored 
up  in  Berne  to  last  22,000  prisoners  for  half  a  year  if  required. 
Three  American  prisoners  in  Tuchel  had  been  appointed  a 
Red  Cross  Rehef  Committee,  —  custodians  of  liberal  sup- 
plies sent  there  for  the  use  of  prisoners  when  they  should 
arrive,  —  and  similar  supplies  were  ready  for  immediate 
distribution  to  other  camps.  When  it  became  apparent 
that  the  Germans  were  slow  to  give  notice  of  the  transfer  of 
prisoners  from  one  camp  to  another,  heads  of  the  French 
Relief  at  Berne  and  the  Prisoners'  Depots  at  Paris  and  Lyons 
issued  orders  to  French  Committees  in  all  the  German  camps 
to  supply  new  American  arrivals  with  whatever  they 
required. 

Arrangements  had  been  made  that  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  the 
German  prison  camps  should  be  stocked  with  similar  emer- 
gency supplies,  in  anticipation  of  the  wants  of  those  who 
were  unfortunate  enough  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
There  were  approximately  200  main  prison  camps  in  Ger- 
many and  some  10,000  prison  groups,  counting  the  small 
detachments  of  prisoners  sent  out  to  do  farm  labor.  The 
American  Red  Cross  laid  plans  to  supply  all  these  work 


192     THE   AMERICAN   RED    CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

camps  with  the  regulation  food  parcels  as  well  as  others 
where  American  prisoners  were  held. 

The  process  of  locating  prisoners  and  providing  for  their 
comfort  was  thoroughly  systematized.  Immediately  on 
receipt  of  the  German  Usts  the  Central  Prisoners  of  War 
Committee  in  Berne  wired  them  to  General  Headquarters  of 
the  American  Expeditionary  Force  in  France,  which  in  turn 
cabled  them  to  Red  Cross  Headquarters  in  Washington. 
Food  packages  were  immediately  dispatched,  every  item  of 
which  was  accounted  for  on  the  receipt  card.  Shoes,  hats, 
and  clothing  could  be  ordered.  Officers'  uniforms  were  made 
to  measure  in  Berne  from  cloth  stored  there  for  the  purpose, 
and  the  rank  insignia  accompanied  them  when  shipped. 
The  Red  Cross  notified  a  prisoner's  relatives  of  his  capture, 
and  letters  could  be  sent  either  direct  or  through  the  central 
bureau  at  Berne. 

The  prompt  provision  of  clothing  is  important,  since  a 
man  captured  in  battle  is  apt  to  be  pretty  badly  disarranged 
before  he  is  taken.  Individual  packages  shipped  by  friends 
and  relatives  at  home  were  also  forwarded,  as  well  as  money 
remittances.  The  practice  of  sending  food  and  clothing 
from  America  had  been  discouraged,  but  there  is  a  human 
side  to  it  which  was  considered  in  the  framing  of  the  program 
and  its  regulations.  With  customary  Teutonic  caution,  the 
German  authorities  paid  over  moneys  sent  to  the  prisoners 
not  in  German  currency  but  in  prison  script,  which  was  good 
at  the  prison-camp  canteens  but  outside  of  which  would  pur- 
chase nothing.  From  the  communications  received  from 
American  prisoners  it  was  indicated  that  the  cruelties  of  the 
early  years,  reported  to  have  been  permitted  and  even 
encouraged  in  the  Austro-German  camps,  were  not  practiced 
so  largely  in  the  treatment  of  American  captives. 


CHAPTER  XV 

BELGIUM 

Belgian  Refugees  in  Other  Countries  —  Work  in  Belgium,  a  Department 
of  the  French  Commission  —  Housing  Problem  —  Coordination  of 
Scattered  Relief  Agencies  —  The  Phght  of  the  Belgian  Army  — 
Recreation  and  Eating  Hut  Provided  by  the  Red  Cross  —  Canteen 
and  Other  Comforts  for  the  Soldiers  —  The  Red  Cross  Supplemented 
the  Work  of  the  Belgian  Government  —  Plans  for  a  Possible  Catas- 
trophe —  Barrack  Houses  Erected  —  Work  of  Belgium's  Queen  — 
Private  Enterprises  of  Relief  —  Colonies  Scolaires. 

IT  is  one  of  the  psychological  phenomena  of  the  war  that 
the  longest  mark  in  the  Belgian's  score  against  his  as- 
sailant is  that  the  villain,  not  content  with  destroying  his 
agricultm'e,  also  took  away  all  the  industrial  machinery  of 
the  busy  Belgian  cities  to  his  own  shops  across  the  Rhine. 
That  one  item  of  vandaUsm  left  in  the  Belgian  soul  a  scar 
that  time  cannot  obliterate. 

By  ill  fortune  Belgium  was  the  first  horrible  examp^ 
which  Germany  depended  on  to  awe  the  rest  of  Europe  ' 
submission.     The  brutality  of   the  blow,   delivered 
German  strength,   long  held  in  check,  was  at  its 
maximum,  staggered  civilization.     When  the  first 
impact  was  past,  Belgium  struggled  to  her  feet, 
agony,  however,  she  was  an  object  for  pity,  h 
and  more  trying  struggle  for  self-maintenanc 
universal   admiration.    A  helpless   and  vicf 
to  humanity's  salvation,  she  rose  from  her 
courage  and  a  model  for  faint  hearts  the  v 

And  so  although  Belgium  ran  the  whol 
o  193 


194     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

ing  from  the  first  hour  of  war  down  to  the  present  minute, 
and  although  she  still  suffers,  her  stalwart  courage  and  con- 
spicuous practicaUty,  her  sturdy  sense  and  simple  dignity 
have  long  since  lifted  her  above  the  lime-light  zone  of  hys- 
terical pity. 

In  September,  1917,  however,  there  were  275,000  Belgian 
refugees  in  France ;  150,000  in  England ;  50,000  in  Holland ; 
and  many  thousands  more  in  Switzerland.  It  was  estimated 
that  in  free  Belgium,  —  the  500  or  less  square  miles  which 
still  remained  free  from  invasion,  though  all  within  easy 
reach  of  the  German  lines  had  been  swept  every  day  and 
hour  by  missiles  from  the  German  guns,  —  there  were 
90,000  more  stubborn  ones  to  whom  the  soil  of  home  was 
dearer  than  life.  There  were  fewer  than  250,000  left  of 
the  Army,  who  had  gathered  about  the  stalwart  figure  of 
the  King  and  settled  down  in  the  trenches  of  the  coast  sectors 
in  a  grim  determination  to  see  it  through. 

The  rest  of  the  teeming  population,  which  had  made 
Belgium  the  leader  of  the  world  in  productive  agriculture, 
and,  for  her  size,  foremost  as  well  in  industrial  output,  Ger- 
many or  the  grave  had  swallowed  them  all.  Belgium  had 
nothing  save  what  she  could  borrow  —  no  land,  no  industries, 
no  food,  and  no  clothing.  She  was  down,  helpless,  stripped, 
and  with  Winter  not  far  away. 

Into  this  situation  came  the  Red  Cross,  in  the  person  of 
>puty  dispatched  by  the  Commissioner  for  Europe  to 
what  was  left  of  Belgium   along  the  British  front. 
'rip,"  the  deputy  wrote  back,  '4s  only  about  thirty- 
long  and  fifteen  miles  wide  and  there  is  no  foot  of 
lot  be  reached  by  German  shells  or  air  bombs." 
000  people  still  clinging  to  this  target  that  they 
more  than  10,000  were  children,  and  from  this 
Igian  government,  circumscribed  as  it  was, 
:en  away  six  thousand  imperiled  children 
in  homes  in  Switzerland  and  France,  viz. 


C   ;^ 


o   2 

h   c 

0:S 


PS  o 


r-     S 


BELGIUM  196 

in  Paris  and  in  the  Colonies  Scolaires  north  of  Paris,  and 
others  in  the  departments  along  the  coast  of  the  English 
Channel.  At  this  time,  however,  burdened  as  they  were 
with  a  multiplicity  of  problems,  they  had  come  to  the  van- 
ishing point  of  their  resources ;  so  they  asked  if  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  would  not  help  to  remove  and  furnish  shelter 
for  some  six  hundred  more  who  were  in  the  area  of  greater 
danger. 

The  world  has  never  seen  a  more  pathetic  lot  than  were 
those  children!  For  ''coolness  under  fire,"  as  the  phrase 
runs,  commend  me  now  and  evermore  to  those  little  children 
in  the  lost  corner  of  Belgium  who,  day  by  day,  they  tell  me, 
went  trudging  fearlessly  and  cheerfully  from  shell-shattered 
homes  to  half-ruined  schoolhouses,  along  roads  where  the 
deep  shell  holes  yawned  like  giants'  graves !  In  all  the 
great  panorama  of  danger  and  desperation  and  death  that 
made  up  the  battlefront,  I  venture  to  say  there  were  no 
stouter  hearts  than  these.  To  mark  their  unconcern,  as 
the  missiles  came  and  went,  was  to  understand  a  little  more 
of  the  spirit  that  kept  their  fathers  on  the  firing  line  through 
four  years  of  hardship  and  misery,  and  their  mothers  guard- 
ing the  home  fires  and  holding  the  families  together  as  best 
they  could,  with  hideous  death  forever  at  their  elbows. 
These  toddlers  had  seen  their  mothers,  fathers,  brothers,  and 
sisters  blotted  from  the  earth  beside  them  in  a  whirl  of  sand 
and  not  gone  mad.     They  were  the  soul  of  Belgium! 

At  first,  the  Red  Cross  work  in  Belgium  was  organized 
as  a  department  of  the  French  Commission ;  but  later,  as  it 
expanded,  there  was  established  a  separate  commission 
with  headquarters  at  Havre.  And  when  once  the  start  was 
made  in  Belgium  the  labor  did  not  lag.  The  territory  that 
remained  accessible,  of  what  was  Belgium,  was  so  small  as 
to  be  easily  canvassed  and  planned  for;  only  the  refugee 
problem  was  distributed  over  a  large  area.  But  in  it  all 
the  work  was  simplified,  first  by  the  keen  organizing  sense 


196     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

and  the  intense  devotion  of  the  leading  people,  both  men 
and  women,  among  the  Belgians,  and  second  by  the  habitual 
industry  of  the  working  folk.  It  was  speedily  found  that 
a  great  number  of  these  were  nearly  or  almost  self-supporting. 
After  the  Belgian  fashion  they  had  sought  service  at  the 
trades  in  which  they  were  skilled.  The  Flemish  refugees 
from  Belgium  in  the  year  1917  tilled  60,000  acres  of  land 
in  France,  and  helped  to  feed  the  Belgian  Army  at  the  front. 
The  Red  Cross  and  the  Belgian  organizations  made  system- 
atic effort  to  place  the  refugees ;  and  lace  makers,  jewelers, 
machinists,  and  men  and  women  proficient  in  many  lines 
were  soon  permanently  and  profitably  established.  Most 
of  them,  to  be  sure,  were  old,  but  a  Belgian  is  seldom  too 
old  to  work.  When  he  is  he  dies.  The  French  govern- 
ment, likewise,  with  all  the  multitudinous  loads  of  its  own 
to  carry,  was  giving  to  a  great  many  of  these  Belgian  wander- 
ers a  small  allocation  or  allowance  to  guard  them  against 
want. 

A  most  perplexing  need,  however,  was  for  living  quarters 
for  the  refugees.  Naturally,  in  the  cities  of  France,  —  Paris 
and  Havre,  —  to  which  most  of  the  refugees  made  their  way, 
no  proper  provision  had  been  or  could  be  made  to  care  for 
such  a  horde  and  under  such  stress  of  circumstances ;  as 
a  result,  respectable  Belgian  families  were  compelled  to  take 
lodgment  in  the  lowest  quarters  of  the  city,  sometimes  in 
wretched  old  houses,  sometimes  in  sheds  or  outbuildings 
where  there  were  no  conveniences,  no  comfort,  and  no  sani- 
tary safety. 

When  the  Red  Cross  first  came  to  Belgium,  it  entered 
into  close  and  practical  cooperation  with  the  government 
officials  and,  together,  they  attacked  at  once  the  trouble- 
some housing  problem.  In  Havre,  —  where  the  population 
had  increased  by  sixty  thousand  and  never  a  new  house 
had  been  built,  —  the  situation  was  most  acute.  Here  the 
Red  Cross  and  the  Belgians  took  over  and  equipped  a  group 


BELGIUM  197 

of  vacant  barracks  and  also  leased  a  number  of  apartment 
houses,  thus  providing  shelter  for  several  hundred  families. 
With  the  Famille  Beige  the  Red  Cross  organized  a  chain  of 
cooperative  stores,  such  as  are  in  vogue  in  Belgium,  and 
cut  down  the  high  cost  of  living  to  the  refugee  families. 

To  assist  in  maintaining  the  health  of  the  Havre  colony 
a  250-bed  hospital  was  presented  to  it,  which  was  managed 
by  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  and  included  in  its  personnel 
the  Red  Cross  staff  of  doctors  and  nurses.  Health  centers 
were  estabUshed  at  Havre  and  Rouen  with  infant  clinics  and 
pouponnieres  for  the  care  of  abandoned  babies.  The  opera- 
tion of  these  shelters  was  taken  in  charge  by  a  group  of 
prominent  Belgian  women. 

Here,  as  in  France  and  Italy,  it  was  the  aim  of  the  Red 
Cross  in  all  its  work  of  relief  to  coordinate  by  means  of 
needed  assistance,  monetary  or  otherwise,  all  the  scattered 
agencies  and  enterprises  that  were  trying  to  cope  with  the 
situation,  organizing  them  all  into  sections  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  government  official.  There  was  a  host  of  them,  too, 
for  clothing,  for  layettes,  for  the  families  of  Belgian  soldiers, 
for  emergency  relief,  for  mothers  and  children,  for  housing, 
for  hospital  service,  and  for  tuberculosis.  By  means  of 
monthly  conferences  with  delegates  from  each  section,  how- 
ever, all  the  work  was  correlated  and  widely  extended,  and 
cooperation  was  maintained  through  a  system  of  weekly 
inspection  with  all  governmental  and  private  agencies  of 
relief,  both  French  and  Belgian. 

Meanwhile,  the  refugee  problem  was  never  quiescent : 
always  the  stream  of  the  newly  homeless  kept  drifting  down 
the  long  road  from  the  zone  of  war.  To  relieve  the  situation 
in  Havre  the  Red  Cross  gave  $600,000  for  the  construction 
of  a  village  of  temporary  cottages.  The  site  was  prepared 
by  the  Albert  Fund,  with  paved  streets,  water  supply,  and 
electric  lights.  Each  of  the  hundred  cottages  soon  boasted 
a  laundry-shed  at  the  rear  and  a  garden  neatly  fenced  in. 


198     THE    AMERICAN    RED    CROSS    IN    THE    GREAT   WAR 

There  were  two  schoolhouses  with  Belgian  teachers,  a 
church  with  a  Belgian  priest,  and  the  inevitable  cooperative 
store,  without  which  the  Belgian  would  not  feel  at  home 
even  in  Brussels.  There  was  also  a  town-hall  for  meetings 
and  administration  use.  The  rents  were  nominal.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  the  whole  project  was  characteristically 
Belgian. 

After  its  entrance  into  Belgium,  the  first  important  con- 
tribution of  the  Red  Cross  was  500,000  francs  to  the  Belgian 
Red  Cross  toward  its  great  military  hospital  at  Wulvering- 
hem.  La  Panne,  which  had  been  the  hospital  center,  had 
become  a  barrack  town ;  and  the  great  hotel  where  the 
hospital  was  installed  was  a  pet-mark  for  the  German 
gunners  and  air-men.  At  Wulveringhem  the  work  on  the 
splendid  new  hospital  with  its  wide  range  of  barrack  wards 
was  lagging  for  lack  of  means,  but  the  Red  Cross  gift  hurried 
it  to  usefulness.  When  it  was  finished  the  plant  and  the 
patients  from  La  Panne  were  moved  there  and,  once  more, 
the  Belgian  Army  doctors  could  operate  without  the  per- 
petual interference  of  German  shells. 

It  was  a  needy  army,  in  those  days,  that  Belgian  Ai*my 
which  helped  the  English  to  hold  the  Channel  front,  and  it 
lived  the  life  of  a  hunted  animal !  There  were  the  abris 
and  dugouts  in  the  first  line,  wet  and  overcrowded ;  on  the 
second  line,  about  seven  or  eight  miles  back,  some  shelters 
and  ruined  buildings ;  and  in  the  rear  some  new  brick  barracks 
where  at  intervals  good  Belgian  soldiers  went  when  they 
did  not  die.  When  they  did  die  —  and  their  casualty  roll 
mounted  into  the  thousands  each  month  —  there  was  the 
endless  graveyard  near  at  hand.  It  was  a  somber  place,  all 
in  all.  ''It  is  not  the  bombs  that  we  are  afraid  of,"  said  a 
Belgian  soldier,  who  had  once  been  an  attache  of  the  Rocke- 
feller Foundation,  —  "it  is  not  the  bombs,  or  even  the  shell 
when  they  have  the  location  of  our  quarters ;  it  is  the  bitter 
cold  and  the  wet  feet,  and  no  place  to  go." 


BELGIUM  199 

Indeed,  they  had  no  place  to  go.  All  the  way  by  Merck- 
hem  and  Bixschoote  and  up  to  the  edge  of  the  Houthulst 
forest  trench  lines  were  blotted  out ;  in  their  mad  plunges 
for  the  mastery  of  the  Channel  coast  the  Germans  had  torn 
the  whole  land  to  tatters.  The  entire  front  was  a  wilder- 
ness of  shell-holes,  cratered  and  furrowed  to  the  limit  of 
desolation !  The  defenses  were  not  lines  at  all  —  merely 
advance  posts,  machine-gun  emplacements  and  batteries, 
and  always  under  fire.  In  the  second  line  retreats  there 
were  no  lights  of  any  nature.  In  the  tumbledown  barns 
the  soldiers  on  repose  slept  on  soggy  straw,  or  ran  back  and 
forth  all  night  to  keep  warm'  because  of  the  lack  of  blankets. 
Many  a  Belgian  hero  took  his  ''day  off"  sleeping  in  a  pig- 
sty ;  and  where  there  was  a  stove  the  men  were  brought 
in  to  get  warm  beside  it  in  detachments. 

It  became  evident,  therefore,  that  the  Red  Cross  must  do 
something  towards  removing  this  situation.  A  million  francs 
was  appropriated  ;  and  together  with  the  Belgian  Minister  of 
War,  and  other  Belgian  representatives,  a  project  was  set 
on  foot  for  the  erection  in  the  Army  zone  of  recreation  and 
eating  huts  and  of  double  tents,  equipping  them  with  dishes, 
baths,  moving  pictures,  and  reading  rooms.  The  men  them- 
selves undertook  to  manufacture  the  furniture. 

In  addition,  the  Red  Cross  gave  a  fund  to  the  Livres  des 
Soldats  Beiges,  which  sent  out  books  to  soldiers  in  the  field. 
There  was  a  great  demand  for  technical  books  of  the  pro- 
fessions by  soldiers  who  had  left  engineering  and  law  offices 
and  scientific  schools  to  take  their  places  against  the  invader 
and  who  did  not  wish  to  die  intellectually.  All  these  de- 
mands the  Red  Cross  supphed.  It  contributed  to  societies 
whose  object  it  was  to  furnish  small  comforts  to  the  soldiers  ; 
it  helped  in  the  expansion  of  the  canteen  system  ;  and  it  gave 
money  for  the  erection  and  equipment  of  new  canteens. 
It  also  gave  money  liberally  to  the  Foyer  du  Soldat  Beige  — 
and  if  there  ever  was  a  soldat  who  was  entitled  to  a  Foyer 


200     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

it  surely  was  the  soldat  Beige.  There  were  thousands  of 
them  who  had  not  known  a  day  away  from  the  cheerless 
expanse  of  mud  and  shell-holes  and  ice  since  the  war  began, 
for  the  very  simple  reason  that  they  had  no  place  in 
the  world  to  go  nor  a  sou  to  take  them  anywhere.  In 
the  Army,  where  the  wages  of  the  soldiers  ran  as  low  as 
seven  cents  a  day,  where  the  baths  were  few  and  far  be- 
tween, and  the  clothing  dilapidated,  one  did  not  travel  for 
pleasure.  So,  when  the  Red  Cross  took  detachments 
of  these  poor  fellows  and  cleaned  them  up  and  with  money 
in  their  pockets  to  spend  sent  them  for  a  ten  days'  stay 
in  Paris  for  a  look  at  the  bright  lights  and  a  change  of  diet, 
it  brought  these  men  back  to  a  realization  that  there  were 
still  people  in  the  world  who  were  not  dirty  and  unshorn, 
unshaven  and  scarred,  and  it  made  a  distinct  contribution 
to  the  cause  of  democracy. 

There  was  a  Red  Cross  canteen  at  the  Gave  du  Nord  which 
had  been  supported  by  English  donors,  and  which  the  Red 
Cross  helped  to  enlarge  and  supply.  This  was  for  Belgian 
soldiers  coming  to  Paris,  or  passing  through,  and  it  did  any- 
thing and  everything  to  make  them  comfortable.  The  Red 
Cross  also  made  substantial  contributions  to  the  Conge  du 
Soldat  Beige,  which  had  been  supported  by  the  Belgian, 
French,  and  Italian  trades  unionists.  The  Conge  was  differ- 
ent :  its  plan  was  to  take  a  small  number  of  the  Belgian 
soldiers  and  treat  them  like  country  cousins  who  had  come 
on  a  visit.  The  old  number  was  ten  at  a  time.  The  Red 
Cross  increased  it  to  fifty  or  more. 

But  for  the  most  part,  as  I  have  said,  the  "leave"  of  the 
Belgian  soldier  was  not  burdensome  to  his  hosts.  As  soon 
as  he  was  cleaned  up  and  well  fed  he  went  out  and  got  his 
pay  check,  which  there  was  no  trouble  about  his  doing,  and 
when  he  went  back  to  his  dugout  he  had  money  in  his  pocket. 
The  Belgian  Minister  of  Agriculture  supplied  employment 
for  a  multitude  of  the  Flemish  farmers  on  leave.     The  Red 


BELGIUM  201 

Cross  started  a  fund  for  wounded  men  who,  on  account  of 
their  injuries,  had  been  released  from  the  Army,  to  pro- 
vide them  with  civiUan  clothing  to  take  the  place  of  the 
uniforms  —  which  they  must  surrender  when  discharged  — 
and  to  help  them  make  a  fresh  start. 

Altogether,  there  were  half  a  dozen  hospitals  in  Belgium 
and  three  in  France  accommodating  about  5000  persons, 
which  the  Red  Cross  assisted.  It  contributed  to  a  mess  at 
Sainte  Adresse,  near  Havre,  which  supplied  300  meals  a 
day  to  workers  in  munition  factories;  it  furnished  money 
to  the  soldiers'  club  at  Fecamp,  and  another  at  Dieppe; 
and  a  great  deal  of  work  was  done  at  Calais  in  connection 
with  the  School  of  Gunnery.  For  the  canteens  and  barracks 
for  permissionaires  at  Ouvre,  He  de  Cezambre,  La  Panne, 
Isenberghe,  Bulscamp,  Hoogstaade,  Hondschoote,  and  other 
places,  maintenance  funds  were  provided.  Libraries,  games, 
and  moving  pictures  were  furnished  to  keep  the  soldiers 
cheerful  and  mentally  fit.  The  library  equipment  was 
extensive.  Actors  and  singers  were  secured  to  give  enter- 
tainments. A  valuable  work  was  done  in  the  support  of 
educational  courses,  in  which  thousands  of  students  were 
enrolled ;  individual  gifts  were  distributed  to  all  soldiers 
who  were  decorated  or  cited  in  Army  orders  for  bravery. 

In  all  these  undertakings  —  the  providing  of  comfort 
for  the  soldiers  at  the  front,  recreation  for  soldiers  on  leave, 
hospitals,  hospital  equipment,  medicines,  instruments,  look- 
ing after  the  families  of  soldiers  and  stiffening  all  along  the 
line  the  Belgian  military  morale  —  the  Red  Cross  was  help- 
ing a  government  which  had  only  a  temporary  abiding  place, 
and  was  carrying  on  national  business  under  a  tremendous 
burden  of  difficulty.  But  throughout  all  the  Red  Cross 
work  in  Belgium  it  held  merely  the  position  of  a  contributor. 
The  Belgian  government  had  a  thoroughly  competent  system 
for  the  handling  of  its  problems ;  what  it  lacked  was  the 
means  to  carry  its  plans  into  execution.     This  the  Red 


202     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE    GREAT   WAR 

Cross  furnished.  It  was  a  very  vital  contribution,  for  not 
only  did  it  lighten  the  load  of  an  overtaxed  governmental 
machine,  but  it  put  new  life  into  the  Army  of  200,000  men. 

In  planning  its  work  for  the  territory  back  of  the  lines, 
the  Red  Cross  had  a  more  perplexing  problem,  which  resolved 
itself  into  a  species  of  speculation  on  the  fortunes  of  war. 
There  had  been  no  moment  since  the  line  adjusted  itself 
in  the  north  that  was  free  from  the  possibility  of  swift  and 
imperative  demand.  Any  day  some  change  in  conditions 
along  those  northern  sectors,  held  jointly  by  English,  French, 
and  Belgian  troops,  might  send  a  final  stream  of  refugees 
rolling  down  into  France,  calling  for  shelter  and  for  instant 
supplies  of  food  and  clothing ;  or,  a  German  retreat  might 
release  new  areas  whose  inhabitants  wretched  after  long 
periods  of  German  rule  would  create  an  even  more  stringent 
condition.  There  would  be  a  great  and  instant  tax  on  the 
Army  supplies,  the  Red  Cross  stores  and  the  foodstuffs 
gathered  for  the  remaining  occupants  of  free  Belgium. 
With  an  impossible  condition  of  transportation  and  a 
paucity  of  food  to  begin  with,  it  was  plain  that  any  diversion 
in  the  Belgian  sector  of  the  front  would  make  trouble,  and 
failure  to  meet  it  would  be  fatal. 

It  was  here  perhaps  that  the  Red  Cross  performed  its 
most  important  task  in  the  Belgian  field,  although  the  crisis 
which  it  was  devised  to  meet  never  arrived.  In  the  fall  of 
1917,  twenty  barrack-houses,  each  twenty  by  one  hundred 
feet,  were  contracted  for  near  Adinkerke.  Nine  of  them 
were  first  erected  by  Army  labor  on  sites  convenient  to  rail- 
way lines,  highways,  and  canals,  in  order  to  provide  prompt 
distribution.  Arrangements  were  made  with  the  Friends' 
Ambulance  Unit  and  the  British  Red  Cross  for  the  use  of 
their  trucks  in  case  of  need.  In  addition,  Paris  Red  Cross 
Headquarters  agreed  to  place  from  twenty-five  to  fifty 
loaded  cars  in  the  Belgian  region  on  demand,  within  twenty- 
four  hours.     Canal  boats  were  placed  under  charter,   in 


BELGIUM  203 

order  to  make  use  of  the  network  of  canals  running  all 
through  the  districts.  With  these  provisions  made,  the 
Red  Cross  Commission  set  about  the  purchase  of  $2,000,000 
worth  of  emergency  supphes,  such  as  food,  clothing,  blankets, 
to  supplement  the  great  stocks  in  the  Red  Cross  warehouses 
in  Paris,  which  could  be  drawn  upon  at  short  notice. 

An  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  food  supplies  laid  up  in  these 
warehouses  against  the  day  of  need  may  be  got  from  this 
list  of  goods  shipped  in  for  the  first  of  the  buildings  that 
was  completed :  — 

500  cases  condensed  milk 
310  sacks  of  rice  (50  kilos) 

40  sacks  of  rice  (100  kilos) 
7  sacks  of  macaroni  (100  kilos) 

60  sacks  of  dried  peas  (100  kilos) 
190  sacks  of  lentils  (100  kilos) 
914  cases  of  salmon  (50  lb.  to  case) 
913  cases  of  corned  beef  (50  lb.  to  case) 
120  sacks  white  beans  (100  kilos) 
600  boxes  biscuits  (4^  lb.  each) 

All  this  was  simply  a  gamble  on  the  chances  of  war,  an 
insurance  against  the  horrible  possibilities  which  the  lack 
of  these  supplies  might  cause.  What  happened  in  Italy, 
what  happened  in  Belgium  itself  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war  might  easily  be  repeated,  and  in  the  depleted  condition 
of  the  country  after  four  years  of  war  the  possibilities  were 
awful  to  contemplate. 

''The  danger  from  the  beginning  has  been  recognized," 
observed  the  Red  Cross  Commissioner  at  that  time,  ''and 
we  have  resolved  to  take  no  chances.  We  prefer  to  lose 
part  of  our  goods  rather  than  to  be  caught  napping.  We 
realize  that  none  of  this  food  put  in  the  warehouse  at  the 
front  may  ever  be  needed,  that  the  lines  may  not  change, 
and  there  is  a  possibility,  even,  of  their  changing  in  the 
wrong  direction.  But  if  the  lines  should  change  both  rail- 
road and  highways  will  be  filled  and  there  will  be  delay  in 


204     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

getting  food  up  there  from  Paris.  There  have  been  pro- 
tests against  putting  the  food  there  on  account  of  the  danger 
of  its  being  shelled.  A  high  officer  of  the  British  Army- 
told  me  that  he  had  been  in  command  of  troops  which  took 
possession  of  a  sector  of  French  territory,  and  that  if  his 
soldiers  had  not  been  double-rationed  the  civilians  would 
have  starved  to  death  before  any  help  could  have  reached 
them.  The  world  will  never  forgive,"  he  emphasized, 
"the  American  Red  Cross  if  it  does  not  run  the  risk  of  losing 
some  property  for  the  sake  of  saving  lives." 

It  was  wonderful  tenacity  that  the  Belgian  folk  displayed 
in  cUnging  to  this  vestige  of  land  called  "free  Belgium." 
Their  infatuation  for  home  soil  stands  out  as  the  most 
graphic  feature  of  the  war  situation  in  Belgium.  After 
the  fighting  around  Nieuport  in  the  spring  of  1917,  and  the 
stubborn  battle  for  Paeschendaele  Ridge  in  the  fall,  this 
country  became  not  only  an  armed  camp  but  a  battle 
ground  wherein  these  peasants  went  about  their  homely 
tasks  with  their  lives  eternally  at  hazard.  Many  of  them 
paid  the  last  price,  but  that  did  not  frighten  away  their 
neighbors ;  and  the  Belgian  government,  knowing  its  own 
people,  encouraged  them  to  stay  on.  They  farmed  away 
in  utter  disregard  of  German  marksmanship,  of  danger  and 
of  horrible  death,  and  in  the  words  of  an  American  writer  who 
visited  the  section,  "their  ditches  and  hop-poles  and  stacked 
wheat,  quite  beyond  the  needed  crops  for  which  they  stand, 
are  so  many  markers  of  Belgium's  claim  to  her  own.  ..." 
Some  of  the  most  serious  fighting  of  the  war  has  been  carried 
on  here,  from  shell  crater  to  shell  crater.  But  to  the  civilian 
Belgian  these  stretches  of  ground  and  the  civilian  country 
that  lies  between  them  and  the  sea  are  alike  and  the  same. 
They  are  his  native  soil.  They  are  free  Belgium,  heritage 
of  the  past  and  earnest  of  the  future. 

At  this  time  the  Red  Cross  came  in  touch  with  the 
splendid  work  done  by  Belgian's  Queen,  who,  as  all  the 


BELGIUM  205 

world  knows,  was  an  indefatigable  worker  for  the  children 
and  the  aged,  and  who  Uved  in  such  constant  peril  and 
distress.  La  Panne,  where  the  hospital  had  been,  was 
at  first  the  center  for  reUef  operations,  but  when  the 
vicious  attacks  of  1917  began  to  make  it  untenable,  the 
refugees  there  had  to  be  gotten  out  and  away  to  safer 
places.  At  first  out  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  old  men 
and  women  in  the  Repos  d' Elizabeth,  her  Majesty's 
charity,  only  twenty-six  answered  yes  when  all  were  asked 
if  they  wanted  to  be  taken  out  of  danger.  But  when  the 
houses  all  around  them  began  going  there  was  no  longer 
any  room  for  home  love,  and  the  Red  Cross  furnished  the 
money  to  transport  the  whole  company  to  a  comfortable 
and  safe  place  in  France.  Gradually  the  Society  joined  in, 
more  or  less  as  a  silent  partner,  with  all  the  organized  forces 
of  rehef  in  the  district.  It  gave  money  to  the  commissaries 
of  the  arrondissements  and  to  the  Service  de  Sante  conducted 
by  English  and  French  women.  Clothing  and  milk  were 
supphed  for  the  babies,  of  which,  in  Belgium,  even  in  normal 
times,  there  are  plenty ;  a  portable  barrack  was  found  for  a 
baby  hospital  at  La  Panne,  and  a  Red  Cross  woman  was 
sent  from  America  for  the  clinical  work.  In  areas  where 
it  was  impossible  to  buy  milk  the  Red  Cross  furnished  it ; 
it  also  bought  supplies  of  eggs  for  tubercular  patients. 

In  all  the  story  of  the  war's  miseries  there  are  probably 
no  more  pathetic  chapters  than  those  of  some  of  the  private 
enterprises  of  reUef  in  Belgium.  In  the  heart  of  the  British 
war  zone  the  Countess  Van  Steen,  herself  a  nurse,  had  a 
hospital.  Her  home,  which  she  had  in  the  beginning  turned 
into  a  hospital,  fell  into  German  hands  and,  hke  a  soldier, 
she  withdrew  and  began  work  in  free  Belgium  where  she 
was  made  directress  of  the  Elizabeth  Hospital  at  Poperingue. 
Again  the  bombardment  forced  retirement,  and  in  the  next 
station  at  Proven  the  shells  were  still  falling  all  about  her 
and  the  highways  resounded  to  all  the  clamors  of  war.     On 


206     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

every  hand  the  rough  miUtary  buildings  sprang  up.  To  her 
little  station  there  was  always  a  procession  of  wounded, 
soldiers  and  civilians  alike  —  wounded  horribly.  There 
were  children,  sick  and  injured  and  blinded  with  gas.  The 
record  of  horrors  in  that  neighborhood  is  not  pleasant  read- 
ing. In  one  evening  twenty-eight  cases  were  brought  in 
from  one  little  neighboring  village.  The  wards,  the  tents, 
were  all  full,  always  full,  and  the  means  were  very  scanty. 
Then  the  Red  Cross  came  and  supplied  what  was  lacking, 
and  the  work  went  on  without  hindrance. 

It  was  so  with  the  Colonies  of  the  Belgian  Abbe  Delaere 
at  Wisques  and  Wizernes,  which  had  grown  out  of  an  earlier 
work  at  Ypres.  The  Abbe  Delaere  had  been  the  last  of 
civilians  to  leave  Ypres.  There  were  others  of  these 
Colonies  Scolaires,  too,  —  nearly  sixty  of  them,  —  scattered 
all  over  northern  France  in  all  sorts  of  available  buildings, 
filled  with  thin-faced  children  brought  from  places  within 
range  of  the  never  silent  cannon,  broken  in  nerves  and  full 
of  fear.  To  all  these  schools  the  Red  Cross  made  gifts, 
supplying  everything  from  buildings  to  buttons.  The 
Queen's  school  at  Vinckem  was  a  thriving  establishment, 
with  playgrounds,  infirmary,  and  splendid  gardens.  But 
it  was  well  in  the  danger  zone,  for  the  King  and  Queen  re- 
fused to  leave  the  soil  of  the  Kingdom,  and  to  be  in  Belgium 
meant  to  be  under  fire.  The  Red  Cross  assisted  the  Queen 
to  expand  the  school's  facilities  by  the  erection  of  a  babies' 
pavilion  so  as  to  take  in  younger  children ;  it  established 
school  buildings  at  Cayeux-sur-Mer  in  France  to  accom- 
modate children  from  the  abandoned  establishments  until 
the  new  permanent  institutions  could  be  completed  at 
Leysele  on  the  French  frontier;  and  it  transferred  whole 
colonies  of  children,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Queen,  through 
Switzerland  to  many  retreats  in  France.  Victory,  indeed, 
found  the  Red  Cross  more  than  a  helper  in  things  Belgian, 
—  it  found  it  a  friend. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE    STORY   OF   ITALY 

The  Red  Cross  Uniform  in  Italy  —  The  Disaster  of  Caporetto  —  Emer- 
gency Commission  from  France  —  Refutation  of  Propaganda  to 
Discredit  America  —  Cooperation  with  Italian  Authorities  —  Ar- 
rival of  the  Permanent  Red  Cross  Commission  —  Ambulance  Sec- 
tions at  the  Front  —  Rolling  Kitchens  —  Aiding  Soldiers'  Families  — 
First  Anniversary  of  America's  Entering  the  War  —  Epidemic  of 
Influenza  —  Aid  for  American  Soldiers  —  EstabHshment  of  the  Red 
Cross  Hospital  —  Red  Cross  Welcome  to  Our  Soldiers  —  Forward 
with  the  Victorious  Army  —  Care  for  the  Starving  Civilian  Popula- 
tion —  The  Problem  of  Italian  Prisoners  of  War  —  Opening  of  the 
Department  of  Tuberculosis  —  Activities  Turned  Over  to  Italian 
Authorities. 

THE  many  millions  of  Americans,  whose  support  made 
possible  the  work  of  the  Red  Cross  abroad,  can  have 
no  adequate  conception  of  what  the  presence  of  Americans 
of  the  Red  Cross,  in  the  uniform  of  their  country,  meant  to 
the  people  of  Italy  in  the  fall  of  1917,  and  the  year  following. 

It  was  not  until  July,  1918,  that  American  fighting  troops 
were  sent  to  Italy.  Then  one  regiment  was  dispatched 
from  France,  receiving  a  welcome  that  will  never  be  for- 
gotten. They  had  been  preceded  in  the  last  week  of  June 
by  about  1600  officers  and  men  of  the  United  States  Army 
Ambulance  Service,  but  before  that  time  the  only  uniformed 
American  force  in  Italy  had  been  a  few  student  aviators  at 
training  camps  and  the  personnel  of  the  Red  Cross. 

It  came  about,  therefore,  that  at  a  critical  period  in 
Italy's  history  and  in  the  progress  of  the  war,  workers  of 
the  Red  Cross,  conducting  their  work  from  one  end  of  Italy 

207 


208     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

to  the  other,  from  the  front  Unes  to  the  tip  of  Sicily,  brought 
to  hundreds  of  thousands  of  ItaUan  soldiers  and  to  millions 
of  Italian  people  in  civil  life  their  first  sight  of  an  American 
in  the  uniform  of  his  native  land. 

The  American  Red  Cross  came  to  Italy  just  three  weeks 
after  the  disaster  of  Caporetto,  when  thousands  had  been 
slain,  hundreds  of  thousands  taken  prisoners,  vast  quan£ities 
of  munitions  captured,  and  a  half  million  or  more  old  men, 
women,  and  children  had  been  driven  from  their  homes  by 
the  invading  enemy.  Such  a  disaster  has  had  few  parallels 
in  history  and  it  is,  perhaps,  the  greatest  tribute  possible 
to  the  power  of  resistance  of  Italy's  people  and  the  courage 
of  her  soldiers  that  on  the  slender  stream  of  the  Piave, — 
almost  negligible  as  a  military  barrier,  —  her  retreating 
troops  reformed  and  repulsed  a  numerically  superior  foe, 
advancing  with  all  the  elan  that  a  great  victory  gives; 
while  behind  the  lines  the  people  of  Italy,  who  had  suffered 
the  hardships  of  war  for  two  years,  rallied  to  the  support 
of  her  heroic  Army,  and  stood  firm. 

It  was  into  these  darkest  days  of  the  war  in  Italy  —  when 
no  one  knew  how  long  the  Piave  line  could  hold  and  no  one 
could  tell  when  the  burden  placed  upon  the  people  would 
become  greater  than  they  could  bear  —  that  the  Red  Cross 
found  its  greatest  opportunity  for  service  there.  Upon 
a  telegraphic  request  from  our  Ambassador  in  Rome,  an 
Emergency  Commission  was  sent  from  France,  and  Italy 
had  her  first  widespread  opportunity  of  welcoming  officers 
and  men  in  the  uniform  of  the  United  States  Army.  The 
Red  Cross  men  appeared  as  the  first  visible  evidence  of  the 
sincerity  of  America's  pledge  that  she  would  devote  every 
man  and  every  resource  to  winning  the  war.  German 
propaganda  had  been  extremely  active  in  Italy ;  one  of 
its  endeavors  had  been  to  discredit  America's  sincerity  by 
the  assertion  that  the  United  States  was  growing  rich  out 
of  the  war,  that  she  was  willing  to  prolong  it  by  supplying 


WW 

Eh  H 


THE   STORY   OP^   ITALY  209 

the  Allies  with  money  and  munitions  but  that  she  would 
never  send  her  men.  The  men  and  women  of  the  American 
Red  Cross  in  Italy  served  as  living  refutations  of  that 
German  lie ;  moreover,  it  soon  became  kno\^n  to  the 
Italians  that  these  men  and  women  were  not  merely  the 
advance  guard  but  that  they  had  come  to  Italy  as  volun- 
teers, leaving  behind  homes  and  positions  in  order  to  share 
the  lot  of  the  Italians  and  side  by  side  work  with  them  in 
the  great  common  cause.  Everywhere  that  I  went  in  Italy, 
I  heard  from  the  ItaUans,  from  their  statesmen,  and  from 
their  women  and  little  children,  expressions  of  gratitude, 
friendship,  and  admiration  for  the  spirit  of  the  American 
people,  as  represented  by  these  workers  in  the  Red  Cross, 
who  came  to  them  first  in  their  hour  of  greatest  suffering. 

The  immediate  problem  to  be  dealt  with  was  the  feeding 
and  housing  of  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  refugees  from 
the  invaded  districts.  Few  nations  in  modern  history  have 
been  called  upon  to  face  a  more  serious  problem  than  that 
with  which  Italy  was  confronted :  from  the  two  northern- 
most provinces  the  civilian  population  had  come  in  a  great 
flood  that  overflowed  the  roads  and  swept  on  over  the 
fields  toward  the  south ;  the  barrier  of  steel  which  had  held 
back  the  Austrian  and  German  troops  at  the  border  had 
given  way  without  warning,  and  women  and  children  and 
old  men,  knowing  only  too  well  the  cruelty  of  their  foes, 
had  left  everything  they  possessed  in  an  effort  to  escape. 
Women  trudged  along  with  children  in  their  arms;  the 
bedridden  were  carried  in  wheelbarrows  and  on  stretchers. 
Fleeing  civilians  were  inextricably  mixed  in  with  the  retreat- 
ing soldiery  :  abandoned  guns,  trucks,  ammunition  wagons, 
ambulances,  and  automobiles  clogged  the  roads.  Daugh- 
ters were  separated  from  mothers ;  little  children  were  swept 
away  from  their  parents  —  some  of  them  to  be  united 
months  later  in  American  Red  Cross  homes,  others  never 
to  be  together  again.     Women  trudging  along  barefoot  in 


210     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

nightdresses;  many  walked  until  they  fell,  weak  with 
hunger.  In  the  midst  of  this  great  military  disaster  and 
the  future  of  the  Kingdom  at  stake,  Italy,  already  suffering 
from  privations,  with  every  resource  strained  for  the  trans- 
portation of  fresh  supplies  of  munitions  to  her  troops,  was 
thus  called  upon  to  transport  a  civilian  army  of  half  a 
million  or  more  souls,  to  find  new  homes  for  them,  to  feed 
them  immediately,  and  to  supply  them  with  clothing  and 
food  for  their  journeys  to  other  already  burdened  localities. 

The  way  in  which  she  met  the  problem  and  solved  it  won 
the  admiration  of  every  American  in  the  Red  Cross  who 
saw  the  conditions  at  close  range.  The  American  Red 
Cross  cooperated  with  the  Italian  authorities  and  Italian 
Relief  Societies,  bringing  carloads  of  foodstuffs  and  clothing 
from  our  storehouses  in  France,  buying  other  necessaries 
in  the  open  market,  distributing  food  to  the  refugees  in 
trains  who  journeyed  often  for  days,  establishing  homes 
and,  as  the  destitute  homeless  women  reached  the  desti- 
nations assigned  to  them,  providing  work  for  them  that 
would  occupy  their  time  and  afford  a  small  remuneration. 
Asylums  were  opened  for  the  children  where  these  war 
orphans  could  be  taught,  fed,  and  clothed.  Soup  kitchens 
were  inaugurated  to  give  simple,  sustaining  food  to  those 
who,  still  laboring  under  the  influence  of  that  nightmare 
of  panic-stricken  flight,  were  trying  to  adjust  themselves 
to  their  new  environment.  In  this  practical  way  the  Red 
Cross  went  about  its  mission  of  relieving  the  wounds  that 
war  had  caused  to  innocent  women  and  children.  The 
Italians  accepted  it  as  an  earnest  pledge  of  America  to 
share  a  part  of  the  great  war's  burden,  and  the  morale  of  the 
people  was  strengthened  as  the  morale  of  any  one  who  is 
suffering  is  strengthened  by  the  presence  of  a  friend. 

Adding  to  the  mental  distress  induced  by  her  reverses 
and  to  the  physical  deprivation  consequent  upon  the  loss 
of  two  rich  provinces,  the  winter  of  1917-1918  fell  upon  Italy 


THE   STORY   OF   ITALY  211 

with  unusual  severity.  There  was  snow  in  the  streets  of 
Rome  and  on  the  mountains,  and  in  the  plains  the  soldiers 
suffered  from  the  intense,  penetrating  cold.  It  was  a  fore- 
gone conclusion  that  when  the  weather  permitted  in  the 
spring  the  Austrians  would  resume  their  drive,  for  all 
through  that  dismal  winter  the  invaders  boasted  con- 
fidently to  the  unhappy  inhabitants  left  behind  in  the 
conquered  district  that  they  would  go  on  to  Rome  before 
the  trees  were  green  again.  The  forces  of  the  Austrians 
were  numerically  superior  by  twenty-three  divisions 
and  military  commanders  awaited  with  anxiety  that 
threatened  attack.  Would  their  soldiers,  their  morale 
inevitably  weakened  by  a  great  defeat,  be  able  to  hold  the 
Piave  and  the  mountain  passes,  or  would  the  enemy  break 
through  and  invade  the  Lombardy  plains?  No  human 
intelligence  could  answer  those  questions ;  and  yet  upon 
the  answer  Italy's  fate  depended. 

These  were  the  conditions  in  Italy  when  the  permanent 
Red  Cross  Commission  arrived.  Immediately,  ener- 
getically, devotedly,  they  took  up  the  work  begun  by  the 
Emergency  Commission,  extending  it  until  it  had  reached 
all  parts  of  Italy  —  all  of  which  was  accomplished  in 
almost  an  incredibly  brief  time.  There  is  a  map,  repro- 
duced on  another  page,  showing  graphically  by  means  of 
dots  and  symbols  the  extent  and  variety  of  the  work  in 
Italy.  A  large  majority  of  dots  and  symbols  were  placed 
upon  the  map  in  the  three  or  four  active  months  after 
the  arrival  of  the  Permanent  Commission  when  every 
hour  was  filled  with  the  work  of  organization  and  of  actual 
relief. 

Multiform  as  were  the  activities  and  urgent  as  was  the 
need  for  haste,  —  for  with  the  enemy  threatening  always 
in  the  north  not  a  moment  was  to  be  lost,  —  a  clear,  con- 
sistent purpose  ran  through  it  all.  Everything  that  was 
done  became  the  expression  of  the  spirit  of  the  American 


212     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

people  in  their  consecration  to  the  common  cause  for  which 
Italy  had  suffered.  To  Italians,  whose  deep  love  for  their 
children  is  a  national  characteristic,  the  American  Red 
Cross  became  in  a  very  real  sense  the  great  mother.  Many 
thousands  of  children  whose  fathers  were  fighting  for  liberty 
were  taken  under  the  shelter  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
schools,  homes,  and  day  nurseries.  Nearly  all  of  these 
children  were  suffering  from  undernourishment,  the  slow 
starvation  that  renders  the  young  an  easy  prey  to  disease. 
They  were  supplied  with  milk  and  wholesome  food  from 
America.  Some  of  the  older  girls  were  taught  lace  making ; 
the  boys  were  taught  the  rudiments  of  carpentry  and  shoe- 
making.  To  mothers,  whose  husbands  or  sons  were  soldiers, 
the  opportunity  was  afforded  to  supplement  their  meager 
pensions  by  work  in  shops  where  garments  were  made  out 
of  cloth  from  America,  and  these  garments,  together  with 
the  contents  of  the  Chapter  boxes  that  came  in  great  quan- 
tities from  the  United  States,  were  used  to  clothe  the  chil- 
dren of  the  soldiers  at  the  front. 

Those  whom  war  had  deprived  of  their  natural  means 
of  support  were  enabled  to  become  self-supporting  by 
work  that  went  toward  the  winning  of  the  war,  and  the 
spirit  on  the  part  of  Americans  and  Italians  engaged  in  the 
work  was  the  spirit  of  cooperation,  of  mutual  helpfulness, 
of  sympathetic  understanding,  and  of  fraternal  friendship. 
Without  the  effective,  complete,  and  cordial  cooperation 
of  the  Italians,  indeed,  the  work  could  not  have  achieved 
the  measure  of  success  which  it  did. 

The  result  of  this  widespread  activity  became  evident 
very  quickly  in  the  changed  spirit  of  the  troops.  In  the 
records  of  the  American  Red  Cross  at  Rome  are  many  post- 
cards glowing  with  thanks  from  soldiers  and  letters  from 
commanding  officers,  and  in  the  minds  of  our  men  and 
women  workers  are  the  memories  of  innumerable  spoken 
tributes,  all  eloquently  indicative  of  the  change  which  came 


THE   STORY   OF   ITALY  213 

about  in  the  morale  of  the  Army,  of  its  renewed  hope  and 
determination  to  resist,  now  that  America  had  come  to  its 
support. 

There  was  much  that  was  done,  too,  which  affected  the 
soldiers  even  more  directly  than  this  care  of  their  families. 
Hospital  supplies,  drugs,  medicines,  surgical  instruments, 
bandages,  hospital  furniture  had  been  lost  in  vast  quantities 
after  the  defeat  of  Caporetto,  and  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  replace  them  in  Italy. 

Red  Cross  Medical  Warehouses  were  established  in  Rome 
and  other  centers,  particularly  in  the  war  zone ;  from  these 
warehouses  many  Italian  military  and  not  a  few  civilian 
general  hospitals  were  supplied  with  the  things  they  lacked. 
In  all  between  1500  and  1800  hospitals  were  aided,  many 
of  them  two  and  three  times. 

In  other  ways  less  obviously  urgent,  perhaps,  but  having 
scarcely  less  effect  upon  the  morale  of  the  troops,  the  Red 
Cross  came  into  close  contact  with  the  soldiers.  Ambulance 
sections  were  established  at  the  front  with  advanced  posts 
near  the  lines.  The  ambulances  were  manned  by  young 
American  volunteers,  many  of  whom  had  seen  service  in 
France.  These  ambulances  did  effective  work  in  transport- 
ing the  occasional  casualties  and  the  many  sick  from  the 
front  lines  and  from  distributing  hospitals  to  base  hospitals 
or  evacuating  base  hospitals  to  the  rail-heads. 

To  bring  some  degree  of  comfort  to  the  men  in  the  stormy 
trenches  of  the  Alps  and  the  icy,  mud-caked  trenches  along 
the  Piave,  the  Red  Cross  established  "Rolling  Kitchens" 
where  the  soldiers  returning  from  the  trenches  could  always 
have  hot  coffee,  jam  for  their  dry  bread,  cigarettes,  and  the 
friendship  and  encouragement  of  the  Americans  in  charge, 
and  which,  undoubtedly,  counted  far  more  than  the  food. 
There  were  a  score  or  so  of  these  posts,  through  which,  it 
is  said,  a  half  million  or  more  Italian  soldiers  passed  in  the 
course  of  a  month.    Men  who  had  stood  for  hours  in  the  cold 


214     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

under  arms  went  away  from  these  little  kitchens  where  the 
Italian  and  American  flags  flew  side  by  side,  revived  by  the 
hot  coffee  and  cheered  by  the  greeting  of  a  fellow  soldier 
from  another  land.  Of  Lieutenant  Edward  McKey,  who 
took  out  the  first  "Rolling  Kitchen"  and  who  lost  his  life 
in  the  work,  it  has  been  said  that  to  the  Italian  Divisions 
who  held  the  key-positions  of  the  Brenta  passes,  ''he  was  the 
entire  American  Army." 

From  time  to  time,  as  the  winter  wore  on,  upon  the  occasion 
of  a  feast  day  such  as  Christmas  or  New  Year's  or  upon 
days  significant  to  Italian  patriotism,  gifts  were  made  to  the 
soldiers  of  packages  containing  useful  articles,  generally 
a  cake  of  soap,  warm  socks,  a  cake  of  chocolate,  and  a  pack- 
age of  cigarettes,  with  post-cards  bearing  a  symbol  of  the 
union  of  Italy  and  America  in  the  cause  of  liberty. 

As  the  spring  advanced  every  effort  was  made  by  the 
American  Red  Cross,  always  cooperating  closely  with  the 
Italians,  to  carry  the  practical  message  of  the  American 
people  to  every  soldier  and  to  every  city,  town,  and  hamlet. 
During  part  of  the  months  of  March  and  April,  American 
Red  Cross  agents,  traveling  in  automobiles  by  day  and 
night,  actually  visited  more  than  two  thousand  towns  and 
villages.  They  sought  out  the  destitute  or  needy  families 
of  soldiers,  families  that  lacked  medicines  or  food  or  clothing, 
and  supplied  their  wants  immediately  by  leaving  in  the  hands 
of  duly  constituted  authorities  sufficient  funds  to  meet  the 
local  emergency.  In  this  work  the  Red  Cross  had  the 
efficient  cooperation  of  departmental  prefects,  mayors, 
and  community  committees.  The  Italian  Premier,  Signor 
Orlando,  advised  the  prefects  of  the  coming  of  Red  Cross 
representatives;  with  the  result  that  when  our  agents 
arrived  they  found  the  lists  of  the  needy  prepared  and 
crowds  of  women  and  children  waiting  to  receive  this  visit 
of  men  from  America.  Then,  by  means  of  speeches  and 
of  placards  posted  upon  the  walls,  the  purpose  of  the  visit 


THE    STORY   OF   ITALY  215 

was  explained.  In  all  more  than  300,000  families  were 
aided  in  this  way  in  the  short  space  of  a  month  ;  and  from 
these  300,000  families  word  went  at  once  to  their  men  at 
the  front  that  America  was  actually  and  actively  in  the 
war,  for  they  had  seen  with  their  own  eyes  and  had  re- 
ceived with  their  own  hands  the  pledge  of  America's  faith. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  first  anniversary  of  America's 
entrance  into  the  war  with  Germany,  I  was  in  Rome  and 
was  present  at  the  impressive  ceremony  held  in  the  Coliseum 
in  honor  of  the  day.  No  one  could  have  doubted  the 
sincerity  of  the  words  there  spoken,  words  of  gratitude  on 
the  part  of  Italy's  representatives,  addressed  to  the  President 
and  people  of  the  United  States  and  the  American  Red  Cross  ; 
nor  could  any  one  have  failed  to  be  touched  by  the  spon- 
taneous applause  from  the  soldiers  and  the  men  and 
women  who,  in  a  downpour  of  rain,  stood  in  that  great 
ruined  open  amphitheater  to  do  honor  to  our  country. 
Later,  I  went  to  other  chief  cities  of  Italy,  and  everywhere 
there  were  the  same  cordial,  fervent  demonstrations  of 
friendship  and  appreciation.  The  message  of  America  had 
been  well  carried  to  the  Italian  people. 

The  Austrians  had  boasted,  as  I  have  said  before,  that 
they  would  be  in  Rome  before  the  summer ;  but  when  in 
June  they  began  their  delayed  offensive  they  found  opposed 
to  them  men  confident  in  victory.  By  weight  of  superior 
numbers  they  forced  their  way  across  the  Piave  in  several 
places  only  to  be  beaten  back  with  severe  losses ;  the  passes 
of  the  Brenta  and  the  Grappa  had  become  walls  of  granite 
which  they  beat  at  in  vain.  The  failure  of  that  offensive 
marked  the  salvation  of  Italy. 

In  the  time  of  actual  fighting  the  American  Red  Cross 
concentrated  its  forces  in  the  war  zone,  aiding  the  hospitals 
with  supplies  to  care  for  the  increased  demand  upon  them. 
Our  rolling  kitchens,  supplemented  in  number,  continued 
their  work,  and  all  our  ambulances  were  in  action,  many  of 


216     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

the  men  receiving  the  War  Cross  for  their  service  under 
fire. 

During  the  sununer  the  work  of  the  Red  Cross  throughout 
Italy  went  on  with  unabated  energy.  The  main  attempt 
of  the  Austrians  to  break  through  was  followed  by  a  lull 
in  the  fighting,  but  another  affliction  came  upon  the  people 
of  Italy:  An  epidemic  of  influenza  or  ''Spanish  fever"  of 
great  severity  ravaged  the  entire  kingdom,  claiming  many 
victims.  In  helping  to  check  the  spread  of  this  plague  the 
American  nurses  of  the  Red  Cross  and  our  men  did  heroic 
service.  Milk  was  greatly  needed  to  nourish  the  victims 
of  the  disease  and  to  fortify  children  against  attack.  So 
while  the  nurses  were  visiting  stricken  communities,  making 
house  to  house  visits,  our  men  distributed  large  quantities 
of  condensed  milk  received  from  America.  In  every  way 
possible  our  organization  cooperated  with  the  Italian 
authorities  in  combating  the  epidemic,  even  though  our 
hospitals  were  filled  with  patients  from  our  Army  and 
Navy,  from  our  diplomatic  corps,  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  and  our  own  personnel. 

With  the  arrival  of  American  troops  the  work  of  the  Red 
Cross  in  Italy  took  on  another  phase.  The  scope  of  this 
work  was,  necessarily,  limited  by  the  small  number  of 
American  troops,  but  the  Red  Cross  was  able  to  do  many 
comparatively  small  things,  and  stood  ready  at  all  times 
to  meet  any  demand  upon  it  by  our  few  thousand  soldiers 
actually  in  Italy,  or  by  larger  contingents,  if  they  had  been 
sent.  In  the  summer  the  Army  Ambulance  Service  that  had 
been  in  camp  at  Allentown  arrived  in  Genoa.  The  Red 
Cross  at  once  undertook  the  establishment  of  a  hospital, 
and  in  the  short  space  of  two  weeks  a  suitable  building  was 
found  near  the  encampment  and  equipped  as  a  thoroughly 
modern  hospital.  Later  this  hospital  was  given  by  the  Red 
Cross  to  our  Navy  for  the  use  of  our  sailors  and  soldiers. 

A  few  weeks  later  when  an  American  regiment   of  the 


THE   STORY   OF   ITALY  217 

line,  the  332d,  arrived  in  Italy  from  France,  the  Red  Cross 
made  our  soldiers  welcome,  provided  coffee  for  them  at  the 
stations  through  which  they  passed  on  the  long  journey 
overland ;  at  the  place  of  detraining  in  the  war  zone  they 
were  met  with  something  hot  to  drink,  something  to  smoke, 
and  a  temporary  hospital.  Likewise,  when  these  men  took 
their  place  in  the  Une,  Red  Cross  Home  Service  men  went 
with  them,  following  them  across  the  Piave  in  the  victori- 
ous advance  against  the  Austrians. 

The  story  of  Italy's  complete  and  brilliant  victory  over 
Austria  in  the  closing  days  of  October,  and  the  rapid  forward 
march  into  and  beyond  the  reconquered,  devastated  districts, 
forms  the  culmination  of  the  story  of  our  Red  Cross  work 
in  Italy.  It  was  a  victory  upon  which  every  hope  had 
centered,  toward  which  all  of  the  long  effort  of  Italy  and 
those  associated  with  her  brave  soldiers  and  her  patient, 
enduring  people  had  been  devoted,  but  when  it  came  it  was 
so  much  greater  than  any  reasonable  anticipation  could 
have  foreseen,  so  much  more  complete  and  rapid,  that  its 
immediate  effects  were  well-nigh  overwhelming. 

After  a  stubborn  resistance,  the  Austrian  line  in  the 
mountains  and  on  the  plain  broke,  and  then  followed  the 
utter  rout  of  the  enemy.  Our  ambulances  and  rolling 
kitchens  with  our  officers  and  men  swept  forward  with  the 
ItaUan  troops.  It  was  difficult  to  keep  up  with  the  advance, 
so  difficult,  for  instance,  that  our  American  regiment  out- 
stripped its  commissary  and  for  three  days  practically 
subsisted,  contented,  happy,  and  victorious,  on  the  light 
stores  that  the  Red  Cross  with  its  more  mobile  trans- 
portation was  able  to  bring  up  across  the  crowded  pontoon 
bridges  and  over  the  shell-torn  roads. 

In  the  year  that  the  Austrian,  German,  and  Hungarian 
troops  had  held  the  northern  provinces  of  Italy,  they  had 
systematically  despoiled  the  remaining  inhabitants  of  their 
possessions.     It  had  been  a  year  of  slow  starvation  for  those 


218     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

who,  unfortunately,  had  been  unable  to  escape,  with  food 
growing  more  and  more  scarce.  When  the  final  rout  came 
the  enemy  took  all  that  was  left.  It  became  a  case  of  gen- 
eral loot :  shoes  were  taken  from  the  feet  of  citizens ;  women 
were  robbed  of  their  clothing;  all  of  the  supplies  of  food 
were  commandeered,  and  what  had  been  slow  starvation 
changed  to  acute  suffering  and  death  from  want  of  something 
to  eat. 

The  Italian  Army  of  fifty-three  divisions,  the  French 
and  English  with  three  divisions  each,  and  the  332d  American 
Regiment  pursued  the  rapidly  fleeing  enemy.  All  the 
railroads  were  torn  up  and  the  bridges  destroyed,  so  that 
all  supphes  had  to  pass  through  the  narrow  neck  of  the  bottle 
represented  by  the  temporary  pontoon  bridges  over  the 
Piave  and  then  be  transported  by  camion  over  roads  which 
were  choked  with  moving  troops  and  guns  —  wretched 
roads  neglected  by  the  enemy  and  filled  with  pits  from 
heavy  artillery  fire.  There  was  small  opportunity  at  that 
moment  of  vital  military  emergency  for  Italy  to  take  care 
of  the  starving,  shivering  civilian  population ;  and  it  is 
probably  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  opportunity  for 
service  which  then  came  to  the  American  Red  Cross  was 
the  greatest  and  most  urgent  it  had  during  all  its  Italian 
experience. 

In  some  places  the  trucks  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
laden  with  provisions  entered  a  town  within  a  few  hours 
after  the  Austrians  had  quitted  it;  rarely  did  more  than 
forty-eight  hours  elapse  between  the  departure  of  the 
enemy  and  the  establishment  of  a  Red  Cross  center  for 
distributing  food  —  condensed  milk,  soups,  beans,  peas, 
sugar,  and  often,  salted  beef.  Pitiful  stories  of  cruelty, 
oppression,  and  long  privation  were  told  by  these  unfortunate 
people,  day  after  day,  as  they  stood  in  line  before  the  Red 
Cross  distributing  stations,  and  many  and  fervent  were 
the  blessings  upon  America  as  they  received  the  life-giving 


THE   STORY   OF   ITALY  219 

food  from  the  hands  of  men  and  women  in  the  uniform  of 
the  Red  Cross. 

With  the  signing  of  the  Armistice  following  upon  Austria's 
utter  defeat  there  was  thrust  upon  Italy  a  new  problem  of 
large  proportions  —  the  problem  of  feeding,  clothing,  and 
transporting  Italian  prisoners  of  war  released  by  the  cessation 
of  hostihties.  Austria  —  anxious  to  be  freed  of  the  burden 
of  their  care  —  turned  these  men  loose  without  direction, 
without  system,  and  without  preliminary  arrangements. 
They  came  from  prison  camps  by  tens  of  thousands,  making 
their  way  south,  as  best  they  could,  on  trains  as  far  as  the 
trains  would  go,  then  on  foot  by  road  and  field  and  mountain 
pass,  a  hungry,  half-clad,  ragged  army,  weak  from  long 
confinement  and  insufiicient  food.  Over  the  Alps  and  down 
upon  Trieste  at  the  head  of  the  Adriatic  and  upon  the 
devastated,  suffering  redeemed  districts  they  poured,  strag- 
gling into  the  cities  and  towns. 

The  city  of  Trieste,  which  more  than  five  hundred  years 
before  had  fallen  into  Austrian  hands  but  had  remained, 
through  many  vicissitudes,  Italian  at  heart  and  in  speech, 
was  the  objective  of  many  of  these  released  prisoners.  A 
few  thousand  came  the  first  day,  more  the  next  day,  and  still 
more  each  succeeding  day  until,  finally,  they  stood  shoulder 
to  shoulder  a  vast  unorganized  hungry  army  of  many 
thousands,  crowded  into  the  only  space  where  they  could  be 
put,  —  the  public  shipping  docks.  At  the  time  Trieste 
was  cut  off  by  raihoad  ;  there  were  almost  no  ships  available ; 
and  the  mere  problem  of  feeding  the  liberated  city,  rejoicing 
in  its  new  freedom,  was  taxing  every  resource  without  the 
added  burden  of  this  army  of  men  who  had  suffered  many 
hardships,  who  could  not  be  moved,  and  whose  number 
constantly  increased. 

As  fortune  would  have  it,  however,  a  Red  Cross  "rolling 
kitchen"  with  two  Americans  had  followed  the  troops  from 
the  Piave  far  to  the  east,  and  in  the  first  hours  of  the  Armis- 


220     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

tice  pushed  on  through  the  Austrian  lines  and,  skirting  the 
sea,  reached  Trieste  overland  with  a  stock  sufficient  for, 
perhaps,  2000  rations  of  soup.  These  men  at  once  took 
up  their  station  in  the  concentration  camp,  and  while  one 
of  them  served  the  soup  the  other  got  on  board  a  torpedo 
boat  and  went  to  Venice  for  more  Red  Cross  supplies.  Our 
Venice  representative  with  a  deputy  commissioner  from 
Rome  arrived  in  Trieste  the  same  day  and  made  arrange- 
ments inamediately  to  cooperate  with  the  mihtary  author- 
ities. From  that  time  on  until  the  men  were  reformed  and 
disposed  of,  —  a  period  of  about  one  month,  —  the  Red 
Cross,  working  always  with  the  approbation  of  the  Italian 
authorities  and  aided  for  a  time  by  a  committee  of  Trieste 
ladies,  relieved  the  situation.  By  camion  overland  and  by 
sea  provisions  were  sent  from  our  warehouse;  other  pro- 
visions were  brought  by  the  British  Red  Cross.  Clothing 
was  brought  and  the  army  of  the  repatriated,  crowded,  sick, 
and  hungry,  in  that  provisional  concentration  camp  by  the 
sea,  began  to  emerge  from  its  long  nightmare  of  Austrian 
prison  camps  and  to  experience  once  more  the  joy  of  liberty 
and  life  among  people  of  their  own  nation  and  its  allies 
who,  in  spite  of  the  urgent  need  among  themselves,  had  the 
spirit  and  willingness  to  provide  for  these  soldier  sons  of 
Italy  who  had  come  back  home  again  in  the  hour  of  victory. 

In  the  reconquered  districts,  meanwhile,  and  in  the  land 
of  Italia  Redenta,  upon  which  for  centuries  Italy  had  looked 
as  provinces  lost  to  her  that  would  some  day  be  restored, 
foodstuffs  were  supplied,  hospitals  refurnished,  and  the 
sick  visited.  The  progress  of  events  ever  carrying  the 
work  into  the  towns  of  the  Dalmatian  Coast  across  the 
Adriatic. 

The  work  in  all  this  newly  opened  territory,  with  normal 
means  of  transportation  utterly  lacking,  gave  to  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross  an  opportunity  to  show  again  its  effective- 
ness as  an  organization  for  emergency  relief  and,  by  the  very 


THE   STORY   OF   ITALY  221 

nature  of  its  organization,  the  relief  was  forthcoming  more 
quickly  than  could  have  been  possible  through  the  more 
complex  governmental  or  military  machinery.  The  result, 
seen  so  often  in  the  war,  was  typical  not  alone  of  Red  Cross 
activity  in  Italy,  but  in  all  countries. 

While  attention  was  centered  on  the  territories  liberated 
by  the  victorious  armies  and  while  effort  was  concentrated 
there,  the  work  went  on  throughout  all  Italy  of  caring  for 
the  women  and  children  who  were  sufferers  from  the  war. 
New  activities  were  added.  One  entire  new  department  be- 
gan its  work  during  this  period :  the  Department  of  Tuber- 
culosis, consisting  of  experts  sent  from  America  by  the  Red 
Cross  to  cooperate  with  the  Italians  in  combating  the  rav- 
ages of  the  disease  which,  through  conditions  attributable 
directly  to  the  war,  has  become  of  even  greater  menace. 

The  cessation  of  hostilities  brought  about  a  change  in 
Italy,  as  elsewhere  in  Red  Cross  work,  as  there  was  no  longer 
need  for  many  of  our  military  activities.  Wherever  pos- 
sible and  advisable  the  activities  of  the  Red  Cross  were 
turned  over  to  the  Italian  authorities  and  to  duly  con- 
stituted Italian  societies  —  a  process  made  easy  of  fulfill- 
ment by  reason  of  the  close  association  in  the  work  between 
ItaHans  and  Americans;  moreover,  nearly  all  of  the  chil- 
dren's institutions  estabhshed  by  the  Red  Cross  were 
being  carried  on  by  Italians,  as  wherever  it  was  necessary, 
provision  was  made  for  these  institutions  during  the  period 
of  adjustment.  In  all  cases  the  American  Red  Cross  ful- 
filled its  obligations,  express  or  impHed ;  and  even  though 
our  personnel  are  to-day  no  longer  on  the  ground  minghng 
with  those  who  had  come  to  be  their  friends,  nevertheless 
the  spirit  of  the  work  is  going  on,  providing  a  lasting  bond 
between  our  two  countries  —  a  result  in  which  not  only 
the  devoted  workers  of  the  Red  Cross  in  Italy  but  every 
supporter  of  the  Red  Cross  in  America  may,  with  just  pride, 
claim  his  or  her  share. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

GREAT  BRITAIN 

Activity  of  the  British  Red  Cross  —  The  London  Chapter  —  Com- 
mission to  Great  Britain  —  Tuscania  Tragedy  —  Red  Cross  Sta- 
tions on  the  Irish  Coast  —  Otranto  Disaster  —  Work  in  Camps  and 
along  Lines  of  Communications  —  Hospital  Work  —  Camp  Service 
of  America  Transplanted  to  England  —  London  Workrooms  — 
London  "Care  Committee"  —  Communication  Service — Multi- 
farious Duties  —  Library  Committee  —  Grosvenor  Gardens,  a  Center 
—  "Our  Day"  of  the  British  Red  Cross  — Gift  to  the  British  Red 
Cross. 

HOWEVER  much  I  may  have  taken  advantage  of  the 
rather  exceptional  opportunities  that  I  had  of  observ- 
ing the  manifold  sacrifices  —  be  it  financial,  moral,  or 
military  —  that  Great  Britain  made  to  strengthen  her  sup- 
port of  her  Allies,  my  good  friends  the  British  would  prefer, 
I  know,  that  I  should  not  enumerate  them.  But  for  all 
their  modesty  the  soldiers  of  the  American  Army  know  what 
the  British  did  in  France ;  the  men  of  the  American  Navy 
know  full  well  what  the  British  did  for  us  in  the  transpor- 
tation of  our  Armies  and  in  the  moving  of  our  supphes ;  and 
the  Red  Cross  knows,  as  neither  the  Army  and  the  Navy  can 
know,  how  ungrudging  was  the  measure  of  British  achieve- 
ments in  labors  of  Mercy  at  a  time  when  her  own  resources 
in  man-power  and  money  were  taxed  to  the  breaking  point. 
There  was  no  scene  of  suffering,  whether  near  by  or  distant, 
in  Belgium  or  Baikalia,  France  or  Mesopotamia,  Italy  or 
Palestine,  wherein  Great  Britain  did  not  bear  the  largest 
part  of  the  burden  of  relief.     From  the  early  days  of  the 

222 


GREAT  BRITAIN  223 

War  the  members  of  the  British  Red  Cross,  never  ruffled 
or  flurried,  went  about  performing  their  difficult  task  in  that 
unostentatious  manner  that  is  so  characteristic  of  their 
race.  And  no  matter  whether  the  Americans  pitched  their 
tents  along  the  northern  shores  of  the  White  Sea  or  beside 
the  southern  waters  of  the  Black  Sea  or  anywhere  else, 
they  were  sure  to  find  that  an  encampment  of  the  British 
Red  Cross  had  preceded  them. 

Whatever  disagreements,  to  put  it  mildly,  may  have  been 
fated  to  the  two  great  English-speaking  nations  in  the  past, 
there  can  be  no  question  that  Great  Britain,  from  the  King  to 
his  last  stout  soldier,  has  been  our  close  friend  and  good  Ally 
all  through  the  Armageddon  that  has  now  ended.  Quite 
naturally,  therefore,  it  was  our  appreciation  of  this  friendship, 
together  with  the  knowledge  of  the  magnitude  of  the  British 
efforts,  that  had  so  much  to  do  with  the  spirit  in  which  the 
work  of  the  American  Red  Cross  was  begun  in  Great  Britain. 
For  some  time  British  activities  had  enjoyed  our  intelligent 
help  in  England,  not  a  few  of  our  men  having  foreseen  our 
eventual  entry  into  the  war.  Indeed,  it  is  a  well-known 
fact  that  more  or  less  definite  plans  were  made  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  our  work  in  England  —  chiefly  through  the 
organization  of  a  London  Chapter  —  before  the  declaration 
of  war  in  April,  1917.  So  that  when  the  tide  of  American 
soldiers  began  to  flow  through  England,  it  was  clear  that 
we  had  in  that  country  a  great  natural  center  for  our  work 
on  behalf  of  our  troops,  even  though  it  offered  little  protection 
against  the  bombing  planes.  And,  in  time,  as  we  all  know, 
this  center  became  a  great  distribution  depot  for  our  men 
until  we  had  established  adequate  facilities  on  the  French 
coast. 

In  October,  1917,  the  War  Council  appointed  the  Com- 
mission for  Great  Britain.  Scarcely  had  it  arrived  at  its 
post  before  its  Commissioner  made  a  large  donation  to  the 
British  Red  Cross.     It  was  nothing  more  than  an  act  of 


224     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

civility,  and  the  War  Council  proceeded  to  vote  three  more 
appropriations  in  rapid  succession,  amounting  to  $4,750,000, 
to  enable  the  British  Red  Cross  to  expand  its  work  still 
further.  Nevertheless,  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  that  a 
people,  who  had  given  for  one  war  purpose  and  another  until 
giving  was  very  hard,  should  have  shown,  as  indeed  they  did, 
a  hvely  appreciation  of  our  gift. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  the  wisdom  of  our  promptly 
setting  up  the  American  Red  Cross  organization  in  England 
was  made  manifest  when  it  was  suddenly  decided  to  brigade 
American  troops  with  the  English  in  Northern  France. 
Thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  American  soldiers 
thereafter  went  to  England,  and  nobody  at  that  time  could 
foretell  how  many  of  those  who  reached  France  would  be 
borne  back  on  hospital  ships  to  Dover  and  Folkestone  and 
Southampton,  —  towns  which,  as  every  Englishman  will 
tell  you,  had  had  more  than  their  share  of  that  sort  of  thing. 

In  the  midst  of  these  preparations  there  suddenly  came  the 
news  that  the  Tuscania  had  been  sunk  by  a  submarine,  off 
the  Irish  Coast.  No  sooner  had  the  first  tidings  of  this 
disaster  reached  London  than  a  little  company  of  Red  Cross 
men  were  rushed  to  the  scene.  In  true  American  fashion 
they  went  strenuously  to  work,  helping  to  equip  the  survivors, 
supplying  money  for  needful  things,  talking  with  the  men, 
and  writing  letters  home  for  them ;  in  short,  doing  every- 
thing that  was  necessary  and  helpful  to  relieve  their  anxieties 
until  the  last  train-load  had  left  the  httle  Irish  village. 
Obviously,  since  this  was  a  new  experience  for  us,  most  of 
the  troops  who  came  through  safely  were  quartered  at  five 
British  Military  Camps  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  where  all 
their  needs  for  clothing  and  other  things  were  supplied  from 
the  British  Red  Cross  stores  under  an  American  Red  Cross 
guarantee.  Necessities  were  purchased  wherever  they  could 
be  obtained,  and  each  man  was  not  only  fully  supplied  but 
had  an  extra  bag  of  good  things  when  he  boarded  the  boat 


GREAT  BRITAIN  225 

at  Belfast  to  complete  his  journey  to  his  camp  in  England. 
When  it  was  learned  that  nearly  all  of  the  107  officers  on  the 
Tuscania  lost  their  outfits,  the  Red  Cross  at  once  advanced 
$17,000  to  enable  them  to  reequip. 

Nor  must  it  be  supposed  that  this  disaster  did  not  teach  us 
anything;  far  from  it.  From  that  time  on  there  were 
provisions  at  half  a  dozen  Irish  stations  for  six  thousand 
men  in  case  the  submarines  should  score  another  hit  off  those 
difficult  coasts.  Arrangements  were  also  made  for  prompt 
billeting  of  any  number  of  men,  and  squads  of  Red  Cross 
motor  cars  were  kept  in  readiness  for  the  transport  of  workers 
and  emergency  supplies.  And  that  the  American  Red 
Cross  had  certainly  taken  time  by  the  forelock  in  establish- 
ing these  Irish  Emergency  Stations  and  preparing  for  every 
possible  contingency  —  not  only  in  Ireland  but  along  the 
shores  of  England  and  Scotland  —  was  soon  shown  by  the 
terrible  Otranto  disaster  that  followed.  It  was  after  this 
tragedy  that  the  Army  gracefully  acknowledged  its  obligation 
to  the  Red  Cross  through  the  Commander  of  the  American 
Forces  in  Great  Britain.  "The  first  thing  we  did,"  said 
General  Biddle,  ''was  to  go  to  the  Red  Cross  for  material 
and  suppHes  ...  we  in  the  army  feel  a  gratitude  to  the 
Red  Cross  which  is  hard  for  me  to  express  in  words."  And 
praise  from  the  Army,  to  paraphrase  the  well-known  saying, 
is  praise  indeed. 

But  it  must  not  be  thought  that  the  other  departments 
were  not  at  work  in  the  camps  and  along  the  lines  of  communi- 
cation. Effort  was  concentrated  in  an  attempt  to  bring  an 
atmosphere  of  home  into  the  life  of  every  American  soldier 
and,  particularly,  to  surround  the  sick  and  wounded  with  it. 
The  hospitals  for  American  wounded  had  to  have  a  thor- 
oughly American  personnel,  and  the  patients  back  from 
Northern  France  found  themselves  in  the  sympathetic 
hands  of  American  doctors,  surgeons,  and  nurses,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  smiling  Red  Cross  women  ''Visitors." 


226    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

In  regard  to  hospital  work  of  the  American  Red  Cross,  it 
is  necessary  for  me  to  go  back  to  the  time  of  the  arrival  of 
the  Commission  in  England.  This  was,  of  course,  work  that 
would  brook  no  delay  and  the  Commission  opened  its  first 
hospital  within  a  few  weeks  at  Mossley  Hill,  Liverpool. 
From  the  very  first  day  of  its  installment  there  it  was  filled 
with  Americans  who  had  been  taken  ill  on  board  the  incoming 
transports.  In  more  ways  than  one  it  was  a  distinct  achieve- 
ment on  the  part  of  our  people ;  for  otherwise  our  soldiers 
and  sailors  would  have  had  to  be  taken  to  the  British  hos- 
pitals in  the  vicinity. 

Another  hospital  was  early  estabhshed  at  Paignton  in 
sunny  South  Devon,  which  was  taken  over  in  January,  1918, 
from  an  American  Committee  which  had  established  it  as 
far  back  as  1914  for  the  use  of  British  privates.  Like  many 
similar  enterprises  in  England  and  France,  this  hospital  was 
in  danger  of  being  discontinued  from  lack  of  funds.  After 
assuming  responsibility  for  it,  we  arranged  to  leave  it  to  be 
used  by  British  privates  until  it  was  needed  for  American 
soldiers  a  few  months  later.  There  was  a  similar  institution 
at  Lancaster  gate  in  London  for  officers  which  was  taken 
over  with  the  same  understanding. 

In  this  connection,  it  would  be  a  mistake  not  to  include  St. 
Catherine's  Lodge  in  London.  This  house  had  been  given 
by  an  American  for  the  duration  of  the  war,  together  with  a 
gift  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  equipment,  and  was  occupied 
by  British  officers  until  the  American  began  coming  back 
from  the  hard  fighting  of  the  late  summer.  It  was  con- 
ducted in  conjunction  with  the  famous  British  Orthopedic 
hospital  at  Shephard's  Bush. 

By  all  odds  the  most  impressive  American  Red  Cross  hos- 
pital in  England  was  located  at  Salisbury  Court,  not  far 
from  Southampton.  It  was  opened  with  about  400  beds, 
but  had  facilities  for  about  three  thousand  more.  It  was 
in  the  park  of  one  of  the  most  beautiful  country  estates  in 


GREAT  BRITAIN  227 

England,  and  had  a  mile  of  waterfront  along  the  Hamble. 
Around  the  Manor  House  our  Red  Cross  began  building 
acres  of  hut  wards,  a  separate  isolation  hospital,  and  large 
buildings  for  the  medical  and  surgical  staff.  And,  as  often 
is  the  case  in  England,  there  were  trees  of  the  great-grand- 
father type  on  this  186-acre  estate,  and  from  which,  by  the 
way,  much  of  the  heavy  timber  was  taken  for  the  hospital 
buildings.  Well  might  a  wounded  soldier  feel  that  he  had 
the  best  chance  in  the  world  of  convalescing  successfully  in  a 
hospital  situated  in  the  loveliest  of  the  English  picture  coun- 
try, with  boating,  fishing,  fresh  milk  and  eggs,  and  the  prod- 
ucts of  a  10-acre  vegetable  garden  to  tempt  him  back  to 
hunger  and  health ! 

In  some  ways,  perhaps,  the  most  pretentious  of  all  the 
American  institutions  in  England  was  the  Naval  hospital 
in  Park  Lane  in  London.  Built  by  a  South  African  dia- 
mond king,  this  big  marble  mansion  occupied  an  entire 
block,  and  was  used  during  the  first  years  of  the  war  as  a 
hospital  for  British  officers  before  it  was  taken  over  by  the 
Red  Cross  to  provide  a  place  for  the  officers  and  men  from 
our  warships. 

Another  London  hospital  was  that  in  Kensington  Palace 
Gardens,  the  former  residence  of  an  Indian  prince;  and  a 
little  way  out  of  London  was  the  magnificent  Lingfield  rest 
house  for  convalescent  officers.  It  gives  me  pleasure  to 
recall  that  among  other  kind  thoughts  on  the  part  of  the 
British  Red  Cross,  it  offered  to  build  for  us  a  model  war 
hospital  in  the  Royal  Park  at  Richmond,  which  work  of 
construction  was  just  starting  when  the  Armistice  made  its 
continuance  unnecessary.  In  summing  up  I  must  not  neg- 
lect to  say  that  our  Commission  also  established  tent  hos- 
pitals to  accommodate  men  suffering  from  minor  ailments 
in  about  fifty  small  American  cantonments  in  England. 

While  the  needs  of  the  sick  and  wounded  were  being  thus 
provided  for,  another  large  section  of  Red  Cross  personnel 


228    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

in  England  was  devoting  its  attention  to  the  soldiers  who 
were  not  ill.  These  were  pouring  into  England  by  the 
thousand,  shipload  after  shipload,  in  never  ending  streams. 
Needless  to  say  these  men  had  no  aches  and  no  pains ;  they 
needed  no  bandages,  no  sphagnum  moss,  and  no  ether ;  but 
what  they  did  want  was  the  old  comfortable  familiar  things 
which  they  had  seen  the  Red  Cross  doing  along  the  hne  of 
communication  in  the  States,  and  the  Red  Cross  saw  to  it  that 
they  got  it  hkewise  in  England.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  our 
whole  Camp  Service,  with  every  familiar  feature,  was 
transplanted  from  America  to  England  by  a  Red  Cross  man 
who  knew  it  backwards  and  forwards.  He  saw  to  it  that  a 
homelike  Red  Cross  headquarters  was  set  up  in  every  camp ; 
and  that  we  had  the  same  familiar  type  of  Field  Director 
from  New  York  or  Boston  or  Chicago  or  Ohio,  ready  to  do 
anything  or  get  anything.  Let  me  take  a  few  figures  from 
the  record  to  let  you  know  how  prodigiously  this  Camp  Serv- 
ice figured  in  the  hfe  of  the  American  Army.  The  record 
shows  that  in  one  month  there  went  out  from  the  Red  Cross 
storehouses  to  the  American  fighting  men  on  their  way  to 
the  front  the  following  supplies :  30,000  sweaters ;  2000 
blankets ;  10,000  razor-blades ;  500,000  paper  napkins ; 
5,000,000  cigarettes ;  3000  pairs  of  socks ;  10,000  pairs  of 
gloves;  300,000  boxes  of  matches;  8000  pounds  of  soap; 
2000  pounds  of  chocolate ;  50,000  sticks  of  chewing  gum ; 
10,000  tubes  of  tooth  paste;  and  other  things  ad  in- 
finitum. 

As  for  the  canteens  —  they  were  along  the  railways  and 
in  the  camps  and  always  had  the  best  British  war  bread  and 
the  toothsome  ''Chicago  ham"  and  '4amb-chop"  and 
chocolate  and  all  the  rest  of  the  innumerable  other  things  at 
hand.  Our  supplies,  of  course,  required  considerable  storage 
space,  although  nothing  like  that  in  Paris.  Nevertheless 
there  were  three  large  warehouses  in  London,  two  in  Liver- 
pool, and  more  in  Glasgow  and  in  Edinburgh  and  various 


GREAT  BRITAIN  229 

English  and  Irish  cities,  and  their  contents  all  went  to  our 
soldiers. 

On  the  whole  our  Red  Cross  in  England  had  every  right 
to  feel  that  they  took  as  good  care  of  the  soldier  on  their  side 
of  the  water  as  we  did  on  our  side,  if  allowance  is  made  for 
the  fact  that  in  England,  however  hospitable  and  considerate 
her  people,  facilities  there  were  not  comparable  with  those 
at  home. 

Nor  did  an  American  soldier  ever  have  to  lose  sight  of  the 
Red  Cross  on  his  journey  to  the  continent.  Just  as  the  Red 
Cross  had  been  the  first  to  meet  him  when  he  landed  in 
England  and  last  to  bid  him  good-by  when  he  embarked 
for  France,  just  so  it  again  welcomed  him  on  the  French 
dock  and  took  him  in  charge. 

On  each  succeeding  visit  I  made  to  England  during  the 
war  I  was  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  Red  Cross  in 
England  was  really  a  good  deal  like,  if  not  precisely  a  replica 
of,  our  Red  Cross  at  home  :  the  Chapter  was  there,  the  work- 
rooms, the  busy  fingers,  the  flying  needles,  and  the  gauze 
for  bandages.  The  London  workrooms  were  a  modest 
affair  at  first,  but  in  a  few  months  they  grew  to  30  vigorous 
branches  with  2000  workers  turning  out  300,000  articles 
a  month.  When  a  call  came  for  2,250,000  surgical  dressings 
of  a  special  tjrpe,  they  were  turned  out  at  the  rate  of  150,000 
a  week,  and  the  whole  order  was  finished  long  before  the  time 
set  by  the  Army. 

With  branches  everywhere  throughout  England,  the 
London  Chapter  had  what  was  called  a  ''Care  Committee, " 
composed  of  American  women  who  were  notified  as  soon  as 
an  American  soldier  arrived  at  any  hospital  in  England,  and 
the  members  of  this  Committee,  I  am  told,  looked  after 
10,000  American  soldiers  on  an  average  in  a  month,  estab- 
lishing communication  with  their  famihes  and  providing 
all  the  httle  things  that  go  to  make  life  in  a  hospital  more 
bearable. 


230    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Conimunication  Service  also  was  maintained  at  a  high 
level  of  effectiveness.  Home  Service  —  which  somebody 
dubbed  the  "Trouble  Bureau"  —  was  as  busy  in  England 
as  it  was  everywhere  else,  and  everyone  knows  how  busy 
this  Department  can  be.  Moreover,  a  large  staff  of  searchers 
was  enrolled  by  our  Home  Communication  Service  in  Eng- 
land, and  in  one  single  day  they  secured  complete  records 
of  more  than  a  thousand  American  soldiers  in  British  hos- 
pitals ;  and  what  is  more  it  did  not  fail  to  gather  detailed 
information  concerning  each  and  every  one  of  them. 

As  may  be  easily  seen  there  were  all  sorts  of  odds  and  ends 
of  kindly  work  for  the  Red  Cross  to  do.  The  schedule  was 
never  exhausted.  Those  whom  it  served,  British  as  well  as 
American,  included  not  only  officers  and  men  but  war 
workers,  soldiers'  families,  and  slum  babies.  Eight  mater- 
nity centers  were  opened,  and  the  Red  Cross  maintained  a 
considerable  amount  of  health  and  welfare  work  among  the 
children  of  half  a  dozen  crowded  cities.  Working  in  con- 
junction with  local  associations  in  London,  it  dealt  with  500 
cases  of  aggravated  shell-shock  among  children  after  the 
German  air  raids ;  and  it  provided  money  to  send  those 
most  in  need  of  quiet  to  homes  in  remote  rural  districts. 

Then  there  was  om*  Library  Committee  in  London,  first 
organized  by  the  London  Chapter.  It  dispensed  from  its 
headquarters  upwards  of  ten  thousand  books  monthly  to 
soldiers.  This  feat  may  be  said  to  have  aroused  the  interest, 
if  not  envy,  of  His  Majesty  King  George  V  whenever  he 
visited  an  American  camp  or  hospital.  He  is  represented 
as  being  unable  to  understand  how  our  convalescents  re- 
ceived the  American  papers  so  promptly.  I  do  not  know, 
of  course,  what  explanation  was  given  to  him,  but  all 
Americans  will  understand,  I  think,  when  I  say  that  the  Red 
Cross  saw  to  it. 

Grosvenor  Gardens  was  the  center  of  Red  Cross  war 
activities.     The  organization  occupied  five  or  six  buildings 


GREAT   BRITAIN  231 

close  to  the  American  Army  and  Navy  Headquarters  as 
well  as  the  Embassy.  And  how  busy  these  Red  Cross 
buildings  were  during  the  height  of  their  activity  may  be 
judged  from  the  fact  that  their  total  budget  reached  nearly 
a  million  dollars  a  month.  It  is  almost  a  pity  that  I  have 
not  space  for  the  items  of  this  budget,  for  they  reflect  clearly 
the  tremendous  increase  in  the  number  of  men  sent  over 
during  the  latter  months  and  the  corresponding  increase 
in  Red  Cross  activity  which  spread  rapidly  to  the  remotest 
corners  of  the  British  Isles.  Thus  the  canteen  service 
installed  large  canteens  at  Southampton,  Edinburgh,  Bir- 
mingham, Cardiff,  Glasgow,  Winchester,  Leicester,  Derby, 
Romsey,  and  Chester,  as  well  as  hospital  exchange  canteens 
in  fifteen  places.  The  items  in  the  general  budget  included 
provision  not  only  for  hospitals  and  camps  but  such  things  as 
officers'  clubs,  camp  warehouses,  shower-bath  buildings, 
garages,  portable  houses  for  infirmaries,  hospital  theaters, 
and  so  on. 

On  October  25  the  indefatigable  British  Red  Cross  had 
what  is  called  "Our  Day, "  which  is  the  date  set  apart  for  its 
annual  drive  for  funds.  It  was  our  good  fortune  to  start 
it  off  with  a  rush  the  night  before  when  the  Commissioner  of 
the  American  Red  Cross  for  Great  Britain,  at  a  Red  Cross 
dinner  given  in  their  honor,  handed  to  the  Treasurer  of  the 
British  organization  a  check  for  five  hundred  thousand 
pounds  —  two  million,  three  hundred  and  eighty-five 
thousand  dollars  at  the  then  current  rate  of  exchange  — 
as  a  subscription  from  the  American  Red  Cross.  Many 
distinguished  British  and  Americans  attended  the  dinner. 
Towards  its  close  our  Commissioner,  in  a  few  happy  words, 
told  his  attentive  hosts  how  grateful  we  Americans  were  for 
the  great  and  generous  service  of  the  British  Red  Cross  in 
placing  at  his  disposal  almost  their  entire  organization.  "I 
can  cite  countless  instances,"  he  went  on  to  say,  ''of  your 
valuable  assistance  .  .  .  and  we  should  be  sadly  lacking 


232     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

in  appreciation  if  we  did  not  make  some  effort  to  show  our 
gratitude." 

The  remarks  of  the  Commissioner  —  as  all  who  were 
present  have  testified  —  expressed  so  succinctly  the  appre- 
ciation of  our  people  for  the  stupendous  and  ever  increasing 
effort  during  four  years  of  war  on  the  part  of  the  indomitable 
men  and  women  of  Great  Britain,  that  there  is  no  need  for 
me  to  give  here  the  contents  of  the  letter  which  I  sent  with 
the  check  on  behalf  of  the  American  people  to  the  represent- 
atives of  the  British  Red  Cross  and  the  Order  of  St.  John. 
In  conclusion,  suffice  it  to  say  that  no  American  could  have 
been  in  England  or  the  War  Zone  without  a  realization  that 
no  words  could  adequately  express  his  admiration  for  the 
glorious  part  that  England  played  towards  bringing  victory 
to  her  Allies  and  to  herself. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

RUMANIA         ^ 

Appalling  Conditions  —  American  Red  Cross  Forces  Fight  Disease  — 
Commission  Treated  with  Courtesy  by  the  Russian  Government — No 
Transportation  for  Relief  Supplies  —  Program  of  First  Mission  —  The 
Story  of  her  Majesty,  the  Queen  —  Agents  Sent  to  Russia  for  Food  — 
Food  Brought  to  Jassy  —  Story  Told  by  a  Rumanian  Newspaper  — 
A  Call  to  Washington  for  Supplies  —  Comprehensive  List  of  Hospital 
Supphes  —  Supplementary  Cablegram  —  Shipments  by  Order  of 
War  Council  —  Departure  of  Five  Members  of  the  Commission  — 
British  and  American  Red  Cross  Forces  Cooperate  —  Some  Supplies 
from  the  British  Red  Cross  —  An  American  Christmas  —  Carloads 
of  Hospital  Supplies  and  Food  from  America  —  Roman  Hospital 
Taken  Over  from  the  British  —  Material  for  Clothing  from  Russia  — 
Relief  Station  at  Jassy  —  A  People  Dying  for  Principle  —  Distribu- 
tion at  Sascut  —  Red  Cross  Aids  Government  Work  for  Orphans  — 
Comfort  and  Healing  for  Thousands  —  End  of  Work  of  Commission 
—  Members  of  Commission  Decorated  by  Queen  —  Cable  from  Queen 
on  Departure  of  Commission. 

IN  the  chapters  of  unhappiness  which  German-made  war 
has  written,  there  is  none,  to  my  mind,  more  pathetic 
than  that  of  Rumania.  Geographically,  that  country  is  a 
part  of  the  Balkans  whose  mountain  passes,  since  the  days 
of  the  Caesars,  have  resounded  without  ceasing  to  the  clash 
of  arms.  Battered  by  Romans,  Turks,  and  Austrians, 
traded  upon  by  Greeks,  Russians,  and  Prussians,  she  has 
held  fast  to  her  place  on  the  Danube,  to  her  oil  fields  and  her 
salt  mines,  her  honesty  of  purpose  and  her  faith  in  God. 

Here  is  a  nation  skilled  in  arms  but  which  has  no  need  for 
capital  punishment.     Here  is  a  people  which,  even  amid  the 

233 


234     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

horrors  of  destructive  war  and  in  the  clutches  of  starvation, 
maintained  and  expanded  its  system  of  compulsory  educa- 
tion; a  country  where  there  are  petty  misdemeanors  but 
no  crime.  Subject  for  divers  periods  to  the  Moslem,  it 
remains  a  Christian  nation.  Surrounded  by  Slav,  Goth, 
Vandal,  and  Turk   and,  although  invaded  times  without 

'\  number,  it  has  still  in  its  veins  the  blood  of  Trajan's  soldiers. 

-    It  remains  a  Latin  race. 

To  understand  the  dislike  and  rancor  of  the  Teuton 
powers  towards  Rumania,  one  has  merely  to  recall  to  mind 
that  Rumania  has  a  Hohenzollern  king  and  that  it  was  the 
people  of  Rumania  who  indorsed  the  Allied  cause.  In 
justice  to  the  King,  however,  it  must  be  said  that  once  the 
decision  was  made,  he  loyally  acquiesced  and  won  the  respect 
of  his  people  and  those  of  the  Allied  countries  by  his  coura- 
geous leadership  in  the  midst  of  disaster.  The  ambition  of 
the  Rumanians  was  to  recover  their  ancient  province  of 
Transylvania  and  restore  to  their  own  household  the  popu- 
lations suffering  under  notorious  Austrian  misrule.  With 
this  prime  purpose  in  view  at  their  first  entry  into  war, 
they  drove  their  armies  through  the  Austrian  opposition 
into  Transylvania  in  the  autumn  of  1916,  and  with  the  re- 
mainder held  watch  upon  the  Danube  against  the  Bulgarians, 
who  were  massed  to  the  south.  But  the  Rumanian  arma- 
ment at  the  opening  of  the  war  was  of  German  manufacture 
and,  obviously,  could  not  be  replaced.  Again,  their  third 
province,  Dobrudga,  was  by  the  terms  of  alliance  to  be 
defended  by  Russia,  who,  as  we  all  know,  failed  in  her 
compact.  And  Russia's  failure  in  her  part  of  the  task 
spelled  disaster  to  the  Rumanian  contingents  on  the  west. 
German  forces  were  added  to  the  Austrians,  and  together 
they  drove  the  Rumanian  armies  back  into  Wallachia; 
they  bombarded  Bucharest,  and  with  its  fall  and  the  removal 
of  the  court  to  Jassy  there  began  the  Rumanian  exodus 
into  the  northwest. 


RUMANIA  235 

Moldavia  is  a  little  province  no  larger  than  the  state  of 
Connecticut,  and  it  was  at  once  filled  with  miUions  of  people 
who  had  httle  or  nothing  to  eat  or  to  wear.  This  was  in  the 
beginning  of  December,  1916,  — and  Rumania  has  a  climate, 
it  is  well  to  note,  that  is  not  unlike  that  of  middle  and  lower 
Canada. 

When  in  1917  the  American  Red  Cross  went  into 
Rumania,  its  army  was  holding  with  grim  tenacity  the 
Molda\4a  boundaries,  but  machine  guns  could  not  block 
the  progress  of  the  invisible  legions  of  disease.  Every 
condition  in  the  overcrowded,  underfed  remnant  of  Rumania, 
that  still  was  free,  was  a  standing  invitation  to  this  most 
deadly  of  the  forces  of  war.  At  first  came  pneumonia,  then 
typhus  with  a  toll  alone  of  1000  lives,  which  was  followed 
by  recurrent  fever  and  smallpox,  all  traveling  with  fatal 
swiftness  through  the  crowded  thoroughfares  of  Jassy  and 
other  towns,  and  along  the  country  roads  where  the  little 
villages  joined  one  another.  The  uncomplaining,  half- 
clad  refugees,  huddled  like  animals  in  their  dugouts,  struggled 
to  keep  the  cold  from  pinching  their  lives  out.  They  were 
consumed  by  vermin,  the  chief  and  efficient  distributors  of 
pestilence.  In  these  wretched  retreats  the  dead  lay  with 
the  living,  and  hunger,  the  last  executioner,  waited  at  the 
doorway  for  such  as  might  by  miracle  escape.  There 
were  two  feet  of  ice  and  snow  through  that  awful  winter, 
and  children,  whose  covering  consisted  only  of  a  single  cotton 
garment,  went  up  and  down  crying  for  food  until  the  clutch 
of  the  cold  at  last  strangled  their  crying  and  put  an  end  to 
their  hunger.  The  dead  were  everywhere  in  the  Jassy 
streets ;  in  the  wards  of  civil  hospitals  patients  were  frozen 
to  death.  This  was  the  price  the  Rumanian  people  paid 
for  casting  their  strength  into  a  cause  that  seemed  to  promise 
a  united  n'ation,  hving  its  simple  hfe  with  work  in  a  place  of 
freedom. 

When  the  Red  Cross  went  to  lend  what  help  it  could  to 


236     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Rumania  and  its  army  at  the  front,  the  soldiers  were  well- 
ordered  and  intent  upon  their  purpose,  but  the  Russians  were 
yielding  to  the  spirit  of  disorder  which  followed  the  revolu- 
tion. Wherever  they  were  quartered,  there  was  filth. 
The  manure  piles  from  their  horses  Uttered  the  streets  of 
the  villages.  The  Russians  drove  the  people  out  of  their 
houses  and  took  up  residence  in  their  stead ;  they  invaded 
the  hospitals  and  slept  beside  patients  who  were  ill  with 
contagion,  and  they  consumed  eternally  the  food  supply, 
while  the  Rumanian  peasantry  starved  and  died.  The 
people  in  the  villages  back  of  the  Unes  had  no  shoes  and  no 
stockings ;  the  refugees  slept  in  the  fields,  exposed  to  the 
pitiless  winds. 

There  was  httle  left  to  sustain  Ufe  nor  medical  care  to 
sustain  what  there  was  of  it,  for  the  doctors  were  in  the 
army  or  had  succumbed  to  disease.  A  fortunate  hamlet 
here  and  there  had  bread  twice  a  week,  while  others  had 
none  at  all.  There  were  people  in  these  miserable  districts 
who  subsisted  hke  the  beasts,  by  gnawing  the  grass  and 
roots  of  the  fields. 

In  Beltiu,  a  village  in  the  district  of  Putna,  our  Red  Cross 
visitors  reported  the  most  gruesome  conditions.  They  found 
in  one  house  three  children  whose  father  was  at  the  front 
and  the  mother  had  died  from  typhus.  A  girl  of  ten  was 
trying  to  care  for  the  other  two,  one  of  whom  lay  dying  on 
the  floor  of  starvation.  The  third  had  only  a  ragged  shirt 
which  partly  covered  her  and  whose  httle  body  was  no  more 
than  a  framework.  There  was  no  one  to  help  them  — 
three  httle  souls  flickering  out. 

''It  was  a  tragic  picture,"  our  representative  wrote,  "of 
famine  and  disease  from  which  even  the  Rumanian  officer 
was  forced  to  turn  away." 

Another  report  told  of  a  dilapidated  house  with  the  roof 
full  of  shell-holes  and  the  glass  all  shattered  from  the  windows, 
and  in  which  ten  persons  were  crowded  in  squalor  and 


RUMANIA  237 

misery.  There  was  no  bedding  except  some  bags.  The 
tenant  was  an  old  woman  whose  husband  had  just  died, 
but  she  had  three  sons  in  the  army.  She  was  a  mere 
specter.  There  was  not  even  a  handful  of  cornmeal  in  the 
house.  One  child  of  three  lay  under  the  stove  in  which 
there  Ungered  dying  embers  of  a  little  fire ;  the  other  nine 
were  strewn  about  the  place.  Hunger-stricken,  horror- 
stricken,  waiting  the  death-stroke  from  shell-fire  or  pestilence, 
trusting  in  the  bravery  of  the  Rumanian  Army  to  guard  them 
from  harm,  complaining  not  at  all,  burying  at  night  their 
poor  Uttle  possessions  to  save  them  from  the  Germans  — 
these  were  the  wretched  people  for  whom  Marie  of  Rumania, 
granddaughter  of  Queen  Victoria,  sacrificed  earthly  riches 
and  gave  gladly  the  best  years  of  a  gifted  and  beautiful  life. 

In  the  first  crowded  months  when  the  Red  Cross  War 
Council  faced  its  problem  of  carrying  relief  to  a  world  over- 
whelmed with  suffering,  the  word  that  came  out  of  Rumania 
had  been  sorry  enough ;  but  by  the  time  the  Red  Cross 
Mission  which  was  dispatched  in  August  had  traversed 
the  long  way  to  the  scene  of  its  labors,  Rumania  had  become 
a  tragedy,  the  more  heartbreaking  because  it  was  played 
out  in  stoical  silence  and  with  unwavering  faith.  All  know 
that  in  our  devotion  to  the  niceties  of  surgical  science  we 
demand  the  perfection  of  sterilization ;  but  the  wounds  of 
soldiers  in  Rumania,  torn  by  German  missiles,  were  being 
dressed  with  whatever  was  available.  Rumanian  children 
swarmed  the  streets  with  stomachs  and  feet  swollen  from 
dropsy;    pellagra  claimed  its  victims  by  thousands. 

To  reach  Rumania,  the  Red  Cross  Mission  was  compelled 
to  journey  by  Vladivostok  and  cross  the  long  reaches  of 
Siberia.  It  was  met  with  every  courtesy  by  the  Russian 
government,  but  underneath  the  visible  surface  of  its  wartime 
life,  Russia,  like  every  other  Allied  country,  was  honey- 
combed with  German  intrigue  and  peopled  with  German 
agents  gnawing  Uke  rats  at  the  underpinning  of  the  state. 


238     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Russian  railroads,  for  the  most  part  in  the  secret  control  of 
Germany,  lagged  and  miscarried  in  their  labor  of  supplying 
the  Russian  troops.  On  the  wharves  of  Vladivostok  were 
lying  milhons  of  dollars'  worth  of  supplies  for  the  Russian 
soldiery  which  should  have  been  deUvered  three  years  before. 
Already,  the  great  clumsy  body  which  had  been  Russia,  was 
tottering  to  its  fall ;  and  in  the  midst  of  the  unrest  there 
came  to  the  surface  the  ancient  hatred  of  Rumania,  which 
had  been  put  away  when  the  Rumanians  entered  into  the 
Entente. 

Assiduously  nourished  by  the  German  agents,  this  hoary 
grudge  wrought  itself  out  in  the  studied  delay  of  Rumanian 
supplies,  the  failure  of  the  Russian  officials  to  ship,  even,  into 
Rumania,  the  food  for  maintenance  of  their  own  troops. 
As  a  result,  Russia,  a  well-nigh  inexhaustible  granary,  was 
herself  starving,  and  with  munitions  awaiting  them  some- 
where, the  Russian  peasant  soldiers  confronted  with  bare 
hands  the  merciless  artillery  of  the  Huns. 

In  this  light,  it  is  not  difficult  for  me  to  understand  why 
the  Red  Cross  Mission  was  ushered  with  all  politeness  and 
the  greatest  possible  expedition  into  Rumania  but  thereafter 
could  secure  almost  no  transport  for  the  material  of  rehef. 
There  was  no  access  to  the  suffering  Rumanians  after  the 
reverses  of  1916,  save  over  the  endless  roads  of  Russia,  with 
the  invisible  German  clutch  upon  them  all. 

Slowly,  but  surely,  the  patriotic  people  of  a  brave  Uttle 
country  were  being  starved  into  the  arms  of  the  Central 
Powers.  Behind  them  Turkey,  Bulgaria,  and  the  Sea; 
on  the  north  a  Russia  which  had  played  them  false  and  was 
even  now  on  the  brink  of  a  German  peace ;  and  to  the  west, 
the  Hun,  taking  fuel  from  the  Rumanian  oil  wells,  feeding 
on  the  Rumanian  harvest,  harrying  the  devoted  army, 
and  through  its  Russian  agents  stopping  the  supply  of  the 
simplest  necessities.  Seemingly,  the  doom  of  Rumania 
was  written,  even  then,  in  letters  so  large  that  no  man  could 


RUMANIA  239 

fail  to  read  them.  On  the  black  horizon  shone  no  ray  of 
hope  save  that  at  last  the  Allied  Arms  might  triumph  and 
the  dream  of  centuries  come  true. 

It  had  been  the  purpose  of  the  Red  Cross  to  perform  a 
great  labor  of  relief  in  Rumania,  to  care  for  her  refugees 
and  her  fighting  men,  to  supply  nurses  and  doctors  and  food 
and  clothing  in  abundance,  to  restore  her  strength  and  to 
uphold  her  courage,  to  help  her  stand  firm  as  the  pillar  of 
Allied  strength  in  southeastern  Europe.  But  Germany 
had  planned  too  well.  From  the  time  when  the  German 
divisions,  fighting  every  step  of  the  way,  drove  down  into 
the  rich  plains  of  Wallachia,  the  days  of  Rumanian  resistance 
were  numbered.  This  fact  was  all  too  evident.  Indeed, 
the  Director  of  the  Red  Cross  Mission  has  since  informed  us 
that  he  had  had  no  illusions  about  the  truth  of  this  state- 
ment from  the  moment  of  his  arrival  at  Jassy.  It  was  the 
program,  however,  of  this  first  Mission,  to  make  rapid  and 
thorough  canvass  of  Rumanian  needs,  and  after  a  few  weeks 
to  return  and  outline  a  broad  general  plan  of  action.  When 
it  came  to  Jassy,  the  Mission  brought  with  it  only  the  smallest 
of  supphes.  In  that  land  of  desolation  and  want  they 
vanished  in  a  day.  It  was  not  a  question  of  studying  the 
needs  of  Rumania ;  the  need  of  Rumania  was  a  nightmare. 
Its  voices  were  never  silent.  It  stared  in  the  streets;  it 
prayed  from  the  cadaverous  faces  of  that  misery-marked 
populace;  the  sick,  the  naked,  and  the  starving  were  on 
every  hand  and  winter  was  at  the  door. 

In  all  the  tragic  panorama  of  the  War,  there  appears, 
perhaps,  no  sadder  and  nobler  figure  than  Marie  of  Rumania, 
a  Queen,  to  paraphrase,  who  is  every  inch  a  woman  and  who 
had  been  trying  at  the  cost  of  every  conceivable  sacrifice, 
with  a  courage  equaled  only  by  her  devotion,  to  stem  the  tide 
of  suffering.  Utterly  fearless,  she  had  gone  among  her 
starved  and  scourge-ridden  people  like  an  angel,  carrying 
such  food  and  clothing  and  medicine  as  she  could  gather 


240     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

among  those  who  themselves  had  nothing.  Into  the  tj^phus 
hospitals  where  hundreds  lay  dying  of  smallpox ;  into  the 
horrible  dugouts  of  the  refugees;  into  every  place  where 
there  was  a  mouth  that  she  could  feed  or  a  soul  that  she 
could  cheer,  day  by  day  went  the  Queen  of  Rumania,  and 
yet,  by  some  strange  dispensation,  she  lived.  But,  although 
passing  scathless  herself,  her  youngest  son,  unfortunately, 
fell  a  victim  to  the  typhoid  in  the  early  days  of  his  struggle  ; 
yet  far  from  giving  up  from  this  new  grief  in  her  heart,  she 
plunged  all  the  deeper  into  her  work  of  mercy. 

To  our  Red  Cross  Coromissioner  this  unhappy  Queen  told 
in  detail  the  story  of  her  country's  misfortune,  which  had 
been  crowded  into  one  brief  year. 

"The  retreat  from  Wallachia,"  her  Majesty  said,  "the  sorrow  and 
depression  of  a  vanquished  Army  is  a  story  filled  with  tragic  grief;  the 
winter  was  one  of  darkest  horror,  thousands  of  our  soldiers  died  of  sheer 
want.  We  could  neither  feed,  clothe,  warm,  nor  house  them.  Disease 
in  its  worst  form  fell  upon  us ;  and  being  cut  off  from  all  aid,  we  struggled 
against  odds  we  had  no  means  of  overcoming.  Row  upon  row  of  graves 
and  uncounted  numbers  of  rough  wooden  crosses  throughout  the  land 
stand  as  mute  witness  of  a  tale  too  sad  to  relate.  Thousands  of  little 
children,  left  without  father  or  mother,  died  before  help  could  reach  them, 
and  I,  the  Queen,  heard  each  cry  of  anguish,  shared  each  terror,  and 
divided  each  fear.  Then  spring  came  —  and  as  by  a  miracle,  our  armies 
seemed  to  have  a  rebirth.  The  specters  that  had  haunted  our  streets  in 
winter  became  soldiers  once  more.  Our  thinned  ranks  were  filled  up.  A 
new  desire  for  vengeance  and  intense  longing  for  homes  taken  away  by 
the  enemy  steeled  every  heart  for  a  new  effort.  But  our  newborn  hopes 
were  destined  to  wither  away.  The  Russian  revolution  had  sown  discord 
and  disorganization  in  the  hearts  of  our  nearest  allies,  and  when  the  great 
hour  for  action  came  —  the  hour  which  our  army  had  hungered  for,  and 
into  which  our  troops  had  thrown  themselves  with  a  bravery  that  justified 
our  dearest  hopes  —  our  neighbors  failed  us." 

In  the  files  of  the  Red  Cross,  there  are  many  declarations 
in  various  languages  of  gratitude  for  the  great  and  the  timely 
aid  of  the  American  people.  It  is  doubtful,  however,  if 
ever  there  came  a  deeper  note  of  thankfulness  than  that  of 


RUMANIA  241 

the  Rumanian  Queen  and  her  suffering  people  for  our  work  of 
rehef  during  the  winter  of  1917. 

''But  there  was  only  one  thing  to  do, "  wrote  the  chairman 
of  the  Commission.  ''To  get  food,  medicine,  and  clothing 
from  any  source  and  in  whatever  quantity  possible,  in  order 
to  save  what  lives  we  could  before  disease  and  starvation 
and  the  winter  should  outstrip  the  German  armies  in  the 
ruin  of  the  land.  .  .  ."  Fortunately  the  Commissioner 
had  some  funds  which  had  been  placed  in  his  hands  for 
such  casual  use  as  might  be  required,  and  he  requisitioned 
this  for  obtaining  food. 

It  was  not,  of  course,  a  dietetic  question.  The  need  was 
for  food,  —  anything  that  would  sustain  hfe.  And  the  re- 
port shows  that  with  all  possible  haste  agents  were  dispatched 
to  every  corner  of  Russia,  where  starvation  had  already  set  in, 
to  pry  out  from  its  hiding  place  whatever  food  the  magic 
of  money  might  discover.  To  Moscow,  to  Petrograd,  to 
Odessa,  and  even  distant  Archangel,  to  every  place  that 
might  afford  a  chance  of  victualment,  they  hurried  at  post 
haste.  In  Moscow  they  found  flour  and  beans ;  in  Odessa 
they  bought  tons  of  dried  vegetables;  in  the  North  they 
found  five  thousand  barrels  of  herrings,  and  all  these  and 
other  things  they  drove  forward  over  the  congested  and  dis- 
organized Russian  railways  through  districts  whose  popu- 
lations were  even  then  on  the  verge  of  civil  war,  with  guards 
riding  the  "wagons"  to  fend  off  the  hungry  mobs  in  towns 
through  which  they  passed. 

So  at  last  when  the  food  train  rolled  into  Jassy,  there  was  a 
storage  house  ready  for  its  cargo,  and  in  the  heart  of  the  city 
adjoining  the  national  theater,  a  canteen  was  opened  and 
equipped.  All  that  were  there  unite  in  saying  that  it  was 
indeed  a  sorry  coterie  —  some  five  hundred  and  odd  persons 
who  came  on  the  first  day  merely  to  satisfy  their  curiosity. 
For  the  Rumanian,  near  neighbor  to  the  hard  trading  East, 
had  Httle  faith  in  the  story  that  these  strange  Americans 


242     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

would  give  away  food  for  nothing.  If  it  were  true,  they 
told  themselves,  then  such  people  must  be  seen  anyway, 
for  such  a  phenomenon  would  never  happen  again.  On  the 
second  and  third  days,  however,  the  number  increased  until 
on  the  fourth  day  the  American  canteen  was  feeding  two 
thousand  people  who  without  it  would  have  died  of 
starvation.  In  this  connection  I  am  sure  that  an  excerpt 
from  a  Rumanian  newpaper  would  be  of  interest.  It  read 
as  follows :  — 

"The  hungry  poor  from  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  especially  the  women 
and  children,  began  to  assemble  early  in  the  morning  in  front  of  the  shed, 
in  which  were  also  the  kitchen  and  the  store  full  of  food  brought  from  be- 
yond the  ocean,  from  the  country  of  friendly  deeds,  not  of  words,  empty 
and  illusive  as  the  dust  of  the  road.  Every  day  the  number  of  those  who 
came  from  the  borders  of  the  town,  the  naked  and  hungry,  increased.  The 
distribution  of  the  food  begins  at  ten  o'clock  and  lasts  until  three.  Around 
the  two  tables  there  is  room  for  a  hundred  and  twenty  people.  All  of 
these  are  in  rags,  and  with  faces  emaciated  to  the  bones.  In  one  hour, 
about  nine  hundred  can  eat.  The  greater  number  were  cliildren  between 
six  and  twelve  years  of  age.  I  have  even  seen  mites  only  three  or  four 
years  old,  with  shaggy  hair,  bare  feet,  and  clothed  in  rags,  out  of  which 
their  thin  little  bodies  protruded.  Some  came  from  as  far  away  as  the 
windmill  where  on  the  Tatarasi  hill  the  white  belfry  of  the  church  in  the 
Eternitatia  cemetery  stands.  Early  in  the  morning  they  leave  their 
shanties,  half  dug  into  the  earth,  and  drag  their  rags  through  the  dust  or 
mud  of  the  numberless  little  alleys  toward  the  shed  out  of  which  daily 
flows  the  aroma  of  hot  food.  It  seems  as  though  the  American  mission 
had  spoken  the  Biblical  words  of  the  Savior,  'Suffer  little  children  to  come 
unto  Me.'  And  the  cliildren,  "Rath  thin  faces  and  naked  feet,  descend 
every  morning  from  aU  the  suburbs  toward  the  foreign  Pity,  which  rises 
Uke  a  white  Christ  out  of  the  midst  of  human  evU." 

Was  there  ever  an  article  that  appealed  more  to  the  heart  ? 
And  what  is  more  those  present  declared  that  this  motley 
throng  cheered  the  American  flag,  kissed  the  hands  of  the 
workers,  threw  things  into  the  air,  and  wept  and  prayed  and 
carried  home  morsels  of  food  to  their  brothers  and  sisters, 
who  were  too  weak  to  undertake  the  journey,  while,  almost 


a 
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< 

I— t 


RUMANIA  243 

simultaneously,  I  may  say,  the  Commissioner  was  cabling 
us  in  Washington  for  supplies  of  every  sort. 

Although  hampered  by  the  almost  total  lack  of  trans- 
portation, the  relief  of  the  refugees  was  already  under 
way  and  advancing  day  by  day.  There  was  a  crying  need, 
of  course,  for  some  means  of  supplying  hospital  accommo- 
dations for  the  multitude  of  wounded  and  sick.  Without 
these,  it  was  plain,  disaster  would  overtake  the  army, 
which  was  almost  entirely  bereft  of  any  means  of  caring 
for  its  wounded  men.  Besides,  the  defection  of  Russia  has 
brought  a  heavier  blow  than  the  military  reverse :  The 
hospitals,  maintained  by  the  Rumanian  Red  Cross  on  the 
front,  had  been  swept  away  in  the  German  deluge,  and  at 
best  they  had  little  enough  of  equipment.  Moreover, 
Moldavia  was  so  far  from  the  original  front  that  no  possi- 
bility of  retreat  to  it  had  ever  been  entertained,  and  no 
preparation  made  there  for  the  establishment  of  hospitals. 
And  when  the  retreat  did  come  with  its  great  lists  of 
wounded,  every  school  and  other  large  building  was  utilized, 
but  there  was  no  equipment.  For  beds,  they  had  coarse 
sacking  stuffed  wdth  straw  and  only  one  sheet  and  one 
blanket  to  each  bed.  There  was  no  adequate  supply  of 
fuel  and  the  transport  service,  what  there  was  of  it,  was 
all  employed  in  army  supply.  It  must  not  be  forgotten, 
also,  that  Rumania  had  few  railways.  The  highways  were 
good  but  there  were  few  cars,  and  the  oil  supply  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.  Many  of  the  oxen  which  did  most  of 
the  heavy  hauling  of  the  country  had  been  taken  by  the 
army  and  lost.  Three  million  of  them,  along  with  propor- 
tionate numbers  of  horses  and  sheep,  had  been  sold  to 
Russia  and  Germany  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  by  men 
whose  greed  obscured  their  vision.  In  almost  everything 
Rumania  was  beyond  the  possibility  of  self-help.  She  had 
no  trained  nurses  —  only  willing  women  —  and  of  her 
twelve   hundred   doctors,    two    hundred    had    died    from 


244    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN  THE   GREAT  WAR 

typhus,  and  a  great  number,  not  definitely  known,  had 
met  death  in  battle. 

Indeed,  so  obvious  and  so  vast  was  the  lack  of  hospital 
accommodation  that  almost  immediately  upon  the  arrival 
of  the  Mission  in  September,  the  Director  cabled  a  requisition 
to  us  in  Washington  for  a  comprehensive  list  of  hospital 
supplies,  which  in  condensed  cable  form  covered  nearly  two 
closely  typewritten  pages.  The  list  began  with  250,000 
yards  of  mattress  cloth,  ran  through  the  entire  range  of 
simple  drugs  and  essential  instruments,  and  ended  with 
spaghetti  sufficient  for  20,000  patients  for  six  months.  This 
fist  was  the  minimum.  Two  days  later,  the  following  sup- 
plementary cable  was  filed  :  — 

Civil  population  worse  condition.  Three  million  in  territory  inhabited 
by  one  million.  No  clotliing,  shoes,  or  material  for  same  obtainable  any 
price.  Plainest  food  bought  in  Russia  limited  amount.  Transport  un- 
certain. No  nourishing  foods  available  for  sick  or  wounded.  Eighteen 
thousand  orphans  registered ;  probably  many  more.  All  without  clothes 
or  shoes  of  any  kind  for  winter.  Unless  warm  clothing,  shoes,  or  ma- 
terials with  needle,  thread,  and  accessories  make  same,  sent  immediately, 
these  and  many  additional  civilians  must  die  this  winter.  Much  sickness 
now.  Some  typhus.  Severe  epidemics  inevitable  this  winter  unless 
can  obtain  supplies  and  take  prompt  measures  required  prevent  far- 
reaching  disaster.  Useless  try  handle  situation  without  some  one  with 
authority  and  access  to  Government  on  ground  with  proper  organization 
similar  to  Belgium  look  after  transport,  receive,  and  distribute  supplies 
and  spend  what  money  can  be  advantageously  used  here  and  in  Russia. 
Can  probably  secure  cooperation  of  representatives  of  Allies  here.  Deem 
situation  so  serious  am  willing  to  remain  all  winter,  organize,  and  handle 
matter  if  desired,  provided  can  be  assured  substantial  support.  Will 
probably  require  several  million  dollars  for  effective  work.  Large  part 
would  be  spent  in  America,  remainder  here.  Details  be  sent  later.  Must 
have  regular  transport  for  definite  supplies.  Think  we  can  arrange  this 
in  Russia  if  you  can  arrange  ocean  tonnage.  Announcement  of  definite 
policy  and  appropriations  would  have  most  beneficial  effect  now. 

Spurred  on  by  this  revelation  of  the  imperative  need  of 
Rumania,  we  of  the  War  Council  made  haste  to  ship  from 


RUMANIA  245 

New  York  such  hospital  supplies  and  food  as  could  be 
obtained.  Shortly  after  this  five  of  the  members  of  the 
Commission,  following  the  original  program,  returned  to 
America;  but  the  Chairman  together  with  the  remaining 
members  stayed  on  as  did  the  eleven  doctors  and  twelve 
nurses.  And  this  little  force  set  out  to  cope  with  the  dis- 
heartening task  of  Rumanian  relief  despite  the  fact  that 
everything  seemed  against  their  success. 

But  they  did  not  have  to  struggle  with  this  forlorn  hope  all 
alone  :  the  British  Red  Cross  fought  side  by  side  with  them. 
This  organization  had  undertaken  a  brave  work  of  relief, 
but  like  the  Rumanian  Red  Cross  had  been  swamped  by  the 
conditions.  Their  doctors  had  made  a  canvass  of  all  the 
districts  in  the  little  provinces  and  learned  the  sorrows  of 
Rumania  first  hand  ;  they  had  traversed  the  front  from  Delli 
to  the  Carpathians  and  studied  the  needs  of  the  makeshift 
hospitals  where  even  bedding  and  food  and  hospital  clothes 
were  wholly  lacking  and  the  patients  undernourished,  and 
where  used  bandages  and  blood-stained  garments  were  put 
back  after  the  soldier's  wounds  were  dressed.  But  for  the 
betterment  of  these  dire  conditions,  there  was  no  hope  save 
in  shipments  from  the  United  States.  All  western  Europe 
was  struggling  under  a  need  of  them  which  it  could  not 
supply.  There  was  nothing  left  for  them  but  to  wait  and 
to  hope,  while  the  poison  of  German  intrigue  and  treachery 
increased  from  day  to  day  the  uncertainty  of  all  dependence 
upon  Russia. 

Meanwhile,  the  labor  of  civilian  relief  went  on.  By  the 
New  Year  our  Red  Cross,  in  cooperation  with  the  British 
Red  Cross  and  Queen  Marie,  was  feeding  ten  thousand  people 
in  Moldavia,  and  awaiting  with  such  patience  as  it  could  the 
arrival  of  supplies  which  we  had  shipped  to  them.  By 
good  fortune  the  Director  of  the  British  Red  Cross  had  in 
storage  a  quantity  of  condensed  milk  which  he  contributed 
for  the  feeding  of  infants ;  while  on  our  part  attention  was 


246    THE  AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

given  to  the  alleviation  of  the  misery  of  the  soldiers  at  the 
front.  At  Roman  in  the  hospital  the  Red  Cross  gave 
something  the  patients  had  never  dreamed  of  seeing  —  an 
American  Christmas.  Evergreens  were  brought  down  from 
the  mountains,  and  candles  were  found  in  all  sorts  of  places 
for  their  illumination.  There  were  little  gifts,  such  things 
as  the  workers  of  the  Commission  could  find  or  manufacture ; 
there  was  food  and  songs  to  sing,  and  as  if  in  despite  of  the 
misery  that  hung  like  a  pall  everywhere,  there  was  the  spirit 
of  the  Christmas  over  it  all.  To  brighten  the  sky  for  a 
multitude  of  unhappy  refugees,  the  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mission cabled  us  that  he  had  given  to  the  Queen  just  before 
Christmas  for  distribution  the  sum  of  250,000  lei  (about 
$20,000).  Food  of  every  sort  and  in  lots  both  large  and 
small  was  purchased  wherever  obtainable. 

There  was  a  distribution  two  days  before  Christmas  in 
Sascut  of  dried  fish,  sunflower  oil,  and  cornmeal.  Two 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  families  carried  away  supplies  of 
food  and  plans  were  made  for  further  dispensation  through  a 
committee  of  the  Commune,  the  Notar,  the  village  priest, 
the  schoolmaster,  and  the  chief  of  police,  who  were  to  furnish 
lists  of  the  needy.  A  Belgian  sugar  refiner  in  the  district 
and  his  wife  attached  themselves  to  the  Red  Cross  and 
gathered  every  available  scrap  of  old  clothing  and  other 
supplies ;  they  established  a  Red  Cross  sub-depot  in  their 
house  and  visited  the  people  of  the  surrounding  country 
three  or  four  days  each  week.  They  organized  a  company 
of  young  Rumanian  women  as  relief  workers,  and  when  the 
first  of  March  came,  they  were  ready  on  the  coming  of  spring 
to  carry  on  the  work  on  a  larger  scale.  Through  January 
the  Red  Cross  had  started  to  lend  a  hand  to  the  government 
work  for  orphans.  These  constituted  a  large  problem  in 
themselves.  The  casualties  of  war  and  the  ravages  of 
disease  had  raised  this  menace  to  a  terrifying  proportion. 
Schoolhouses  were  secured  which,  formerly,  had  been  used 


RUMANIA  247 

as  Army  hospitals  and  in  which  during  the  preceding  year 
hundreds  of  men  had  died  from  typhus.  The  slow  process 
of  cleaning  and  equipping  these  places  had  gone  on  steadily. 
The  relief  work  in  Jassy  and  many  of  the  outlying  districts 
was  well  organized  though  hampered  by  the  fatal  lack  of 
supplies.  The  hospitals  at  Roman  and  in  Jassy  with  their 
500  beds  were  doing  a  distinguished  work  with  the  limited 
facilities  available.  The  Red  Cross,  in  the  face  of  almost 
insm-mountable  obstacles,  had  brought  comfort  and  healing 
to  the  thousands  of  sufferers  (and  even  dying  people). 
In  a  land  where  there  was  no  food  it  was  feeding  40,000 
people  and  turning  out  from  its  relief  station  clothing  that 
saved  unnumbered  lives.  It  had  reached  through  a  sea  of 
difficulties  the  firm  ground  of  organization  where  it  was  ready 
to  handle  a  great  work  of  relief. 

From  America,  in  November,  there  had  come  two  car- 
loads of  hospital  supplies  and  one  of  food ;  and  with  these 
and  what  remained  of  the  British  equipment,  the  Red 
Cross  took  over  the  British  hospital  at  Roman,  60  miles 
from  Jassy  and  30  miles  from  the  front.  This  single  ship- 
ment was  all  that  ever  reached  Rumania  of  the  supplies 
which  were  sent  forward  by  orders  of  the  War  Council  in 
Washington.  But  even  with  such  materials  as  these  limited 
sources  could  supply  all  accounts  agree  that  the  Commission 
made  of  the  Roman  hospital  by  far  the  best  institution  of  its 
kind  in  all  Rumania.  The  British  had  turned  it  into  a  good 
establishment,  heated  by  steam  and  lighted  by  electricity. 
Its  function  was  that  of  a  base  hospital  to  which  soldiers  were 
removed  after  first  treatment  at  the  front.  A  number  of 
civil  cases  were  also  taken.  In  the  rear  of  the  hospital  were 
erected  wooden  barracks  with  sleeping  accommodations  for 
upward  of  a  hundred  orderlies.  There  were  also  a  car- 
penter's shop,  shoemaker's  shop,  machine  shop,  an  outside 
swimming  pool,  a  disinfector,  a  large  laundry,  two  motor 
ambulances,  two  operating  rooms,  an  X-ray  laboratory,  and 


248    THE  AMERICAN   RED   CROSS  IN  THE   GREAT   WAR 

ocular  and  dental  departments.  The  Thanksgiving  Day 
celebration  at  the  hospital,  which  the  Queen  attended,  was 
an  occasion  long  to  be  remembered. 

Once  having  got  the  Roman  hospital  into  thorough  opera- 
tion, the  Red  Cross  undertook  to  establish  a  civilian  hospital 
in  an  old  palace  in  Jassy,  a  work  which  was  well  on  the  way 
to  completion  when  the  concentration  of  troops  in  Jassy 
made  it  necessary  to  take  the  building  as  barracks. 

The  winter  was  now  at  its  height,  but  the  clothing  problem 
had  in  a  measure  been  relieved.  From  various  places  in 
Russia  the  Commission  had  secured  some  400,000  yards  of 
cloth,  100,000  spools  of  thread,  50  000  needles,  half  a  car- 
load of  buttons,  and  50  sewing  machines.  The  Red  Cross 
Canteen  at  Jassy  was  operated  in  connection  with  a  public 
triage  —  a  bathhouse  and  disinfector  ;  and  having  cleaned 
and  fed  and  restored  to  animate  interest  in  life  some  thou- 
sands of  starving  women,  the  Red  Cross  opened  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  canteen  a  clothing  department.  There  women, 
as  soon  as  supplies  were  obtained,  were  set  to  work  in  the 
hurried  manufacture  of  simple  clothing  to  save  threatened 
lives.  Thousands  of  garments  w^ere  manufactured,  the 
Queen  herself  distributed  many  of  them  in  the  small  country 
villages  and,  in  addition,  the  utter  lack  of  shoes  was  over- 
come by  making  simple  moccasins  from  canvas  and  burlap, 
which  proved  a  most  satisfactory  substitute.  There  were, 
at  least,  fewer  frozen,  bleeding  feet  in  the  streets  and 
highways  of  Moldavia.  The  records  show  that  at  the  relief 
station  in  Jassy  where  now  food,  clothing,  disinfection, 
and  medical  attention  were  dispensed,  1200  persons  were 
cared  for  daily  from  the  date  of  its  opening  on  February  25 
up  to  March  9,  when  the  Commission  was  forced  to  leave 
Rumania  by  the  imposition  of  the  German  peace. 

Now  that  the  suffering  had,  in  a  measure,  been  modified, 
every  hand  in  Rumania  was  called  into  service.  Widows 
and  orphans  and  crippled  soldiers  joined  in  the  work,  carry- 


RUMANIA  249 

ing  Red  Cross  assistance  to  the  needy  when  their  own  govern- 
ment was  powerless.  The  American  flag  and  the  Red  Cross 
emblem  in  every  district  were  the  signboards  pointing  the 
way  to  help.  The  heroic  Queen  traveled  Rumanian  roads 
in  good  and  bad  weather.  There  was  no  such  thing  in  all 
Moldavia  as  public  charity,  for  no  one  had  anything  to 
give  away.  They  had  lost  it  all.  Charitable  organizations, 
which  had  been  amply  endowed  for  whatever  rehef  was 
necessary  in  peace  times,  were  hopelessly  crippled  by  the 
terrific  strain  of  war.  Commercial  stocks  of  food  and  cloth- 
ing had  vanished  and  there  was  no  hope  of  replacement. 
The  greater  part  of  the  factory  installation  m  Wallachia  had 
been  left  behind  in  the  retreat ;  those  in  Moldavia  were 
destroyed  to  save  them  from  German  hands.  There  was 
no  oil  for  machinery,  no  cows  to  furnish  milk  for  babies,  no 
Russian  ally. 

It  was  a  people  dying  for  a  principle,  no  more,  no  less. 
With  all  their  suffering,  they  made  no  complaint.  The 
Army  must  have  the  best  —  all,  if  need  be.  In  the  desolate 
villages  behind  the  front  it  was  counted  good  fortune  for  a 
peasant  family  to  get  the  entrails  of  an  animal  that  had  been 
slaughtered  for  the  Army.  The  wretched  people  boiled 
this  ofifal  and  made  soup  to  keep  the  breath  of  life  in  them. 
The  Army  was  in  good  order  and  would  fight  to  its  last 
soldier.  It  had  no  other  purpose.  But  if  Russia  fell,  every- 
thing fell. 

And  then,  indeed,  the  bell  rang  for  the  curtain.  On  the 
9th  of  March,  to  save  herself  from  the  utter  annihilation 
which  Germany  had  promised  for  the  little  Balkan  country's 
portion,  Rumania  gave  up  the  struggle.  It  left  her  hemmed 
in  by  revengeful  enemies  and  wdth  the  knowledge  that  Rus- 
sia, her  former  protector,  had  played  her  false  in  practically 
the  last  political  act  before  she  herself  went  down  into  an 
abyss  of  revolution  and  Bolshevism. 

The  AlUed  world  laid  no  charge  of  bad  faith  at  the  door  of 


250    THE  AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

Rumania.  Her  necessity  was  too  obvious.  She  had  tried 
and  failed.  In  the  trial  she  had  stripped  herself  bare  of 
(  every  possession,  and  had  lost  by  slaughter  and  disease  about 
^ten  per  cent  of  her  population.  With  us  such  a  pajnnent 
would  mean  ten  millions  of  our  people !  It  is  indeed  to  be 
hoped  that  Rumania's  sacrifices  be  not  wholly  forgotten  even 
in  these  days  of  short  memories. 

Scarcely  had  Rumania  yielded  than  the  Germans  ordered 
the  immediate  dismissal  of  all  French,  British,  and  American 
agents  of  relief  from  the  country.  It  was  folly,  of  course, 
to  expect  any  reversal  of  this  order.  At  the  time  of  the 
Mission's  departure  Rumania's  Queen  cabled  to  Washington 
as  follows :  — 

"At  this  hour  when  tragic  events  leave  my  country  defenseless  in  the 
hands  of  a  revengeful  and  relentless  enemy,  my  thoughts  tm-n  with  grati- 
tude towards  those  who  in  anxious  days,  but  when  there  was  still  hope, 
came  to  my  aid.  I  wish  once  more  to  thank  the  American  Red  Cross  for 
the  splendid  way  in  which  it  answered  my  appeal  of  a  few  months  ago. 
The  work  the  American  Red  Cross  Commission  did  amongst  our  wounded 
and  amongst  the  suffering  population  is  unforgetable  to  me  and  my 
people.  Now  that  my  country  has  to  remain  alone  and  forsaken,  sur- 
rounded by  foes,  I  wish  once  more  to  raise  my  voice  and  to  thank  all  those 
who  helped  me,  and  to  ask  that  we  and  our  nation  should  not  be  forgotten, 
although  a  dreadful  and  humiliating  peace  has  been  forced  upon  us.  I 
ask  of  the  great  heart  of  America  to  remember  Rumania,  if  even  for  a 
while.  Strangulated,  her  cries  will  not  reach  it,  and  her  tears  will  have 
to  be  wept  in  secret." 

There  is  little  more  of  this  sad  story  to  be  told.  To  the 
thoughtless,  or  those  who  think  in  numerals  and  have  not 
the  larger  view  of  what  the  Red  Cross  purpose  really  is,  it 
might  appear  that  its  mission  in  Rumania  was  a  failure. 
But  even  these  persons,  I  think,  would  not  say  so  had  they 
been  among  the  fortunate  ones  who  were  present  when  Marie 
of  Rumania  conferred  decorations  on  the  members  of  our 
Mission.  All  of  them  have  since  said  that  they  knew  that 
the  decorations  were  the  only  proofs  of  her  gratitude  that 


RUMANIA  251 

the  Queen  had  left  to  give,  but  it  was  easy  to  see  that  she 
exulted  in  the  giving.  On  our  part,  the  Commission  put 
into  the  Queen's  hands  an  order  for  food  sufficient  to  feed 
several  thousand  persons  for  six  months.  And  when  the 
Commission  took  up  the  perilous  road  to  the  North  through 
Russia,  thousands  of  these  people,  who  for  centuries  have 
forgotten  no  kindness  and  no  injuiy,  crowded  the  public 
square  to  say  Godspeed  to  those  who  were  leaving  their  un- 
happy country.  It  was  a  demonstration  of  a  Nation's 
affection  and  an  assurance  that  the  memory  of  our  efforts, 
however  pitiful  when  contrasted  with  the  need,  will  never 
fade  as  long  as  the  Danube  flows  to  the  sea. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE   TRAGEDY   OF   THE    EAST 

Serbia  —  The  Great  Retreat  of  the  Serbian  Army  —  Reorganization  of 
Army  in  June  and  July,  1916  —  Conditions  in  April,  1917  —  First 
Commission  to  Serbia  —  Hospitals  Established  —  Shelter  Provided 

—  Cargo  of  Steamship  Coesar  Purchased  —  Rolling  Canteens  and 
Supplies  for  Army  —  Gift  to  Serbian  Red  Cross  —  Pitiful  Plight  of 
Prisoners  —  Tons  of  Farm  Machinery  and  Tools  Sent  from  America 

—  $70,000  for  Clothing  for  Serbian  Prisoners  —  Food  and  Clothing 
from  Red  Cross  Warehouses  in  Berne  for  Prisoners  — 175,000  for 
Serbian  Refugees  in  Bucharest  —  Help  for  Tuberculous  Serbians  in 
France,  Switzerland,  and  Italy  — 125,000  for  Serbians  m  Siberia  — 
Greece  —  Conditions  in  Greece  when  the  War  Began  —  Germany's 
Work  in  Greece  through  the  Turk  and  Bulgar  —  Greeks  Driven 
from  Their  Homes  —  Greek  Red  Cross  Appeals  for  Aid  —  Allies 
Furnish  Medical  and  Hospital  Supplies  —  In  the  Islands  of  the 
iEgean  Sea  —  American  Red  Cross  Commission  to  Greece  —  Pales- 
tine —  Cable  from  the  American  Committee  for  Syrian  and  Ar- 
menian Relief  —  British  Relief  Fund  —  Medical  Units  Established 
by  British  —  Red  Cross  Commission  Sails  —  Conditions  Found  in 
Jerusalem  and  Adjacent  Country  —  Description  of  Relief  Work  — 
Total  Appropriations  by  War  Council  to  October  1,  1918. 

IN  telling  the  story  of  the  Red  Cross  in  the  East  the  dis- 
comforting thought  is  ever  present  in  my  mind  that  I 
may  not  dwell  as  long  as  I  should  like  upon  a  scene  as  touch^- 
ing  as  that  which  concluded  the  report  from  Rumania. 
No  sooner  have  I  visualized  the  little  station  at  Jassy  and 
rejoiced,  however  vicariously,  with  the  departing  mission 
in  their  consciousness  of  a  deed  well  done  than  I  am  called 
upon  by  the  very  nature  of  this  book  to  depict  scenes  of 

252 


THE    TRAGEDY   OF   THE   EAST  253 

suffering  in  Serbia  and  Greece,  Palestine,  and  the  Near  East 
that  would  appear  to  be  more  poignant  than  anywhere  else 
in  Europe. 

Until  our  own  entry  into  the  struggle  the  Balkans,  if  the 
truth  must  be  told,  had  been  merely  a  name,  a  far-off  place 
associated  with  rugged  hills  and  beautiful  embroideries; 
and,  in  a  relief  way,  our  only  touch  with  it  had  been  in  the 
special  Typhus  Commission  that  went  to  Serbia  in  1914. 

Serbia's  role  in  the  war  may  be  fixed  by  events  before  and 
after  the  Great  Retreat  in  the  fall  of  1915  —  when  the 
Serbian  Army,  hopelessly  outnumbered,  commenced  its 
retirement  with  the  snow  three  feet  deep  and  the  cold  in 
the  bleak  Albanian  hills  almost  unbearable.  Soldiers  were 
Uttle  better  clad  than  the  wretched  civilians  who  dropped 
in  the  snow  and  lay  where  they  fell.  The  historic  retreat 
of  Napoleon's  armies  across  the  snowbound  Russian  plains 
from  Moscow  was  less  fearful.  Of  the  Serb  Army  of  250,000 
that  had  opposed  the  enemy  at  the  frontiers,  less  than 
100,000  reached  the  ultimate  haven  —  Corfu,  that  lies  like 
a  fairy  isle  in  the  Ionian  Sea.  Fifty  per  cent  of  the  civilians 
who  fled  out  of  Serbia  died  of  starvation,  disease,  and  exposure 
before  help  could  reach  them ;  while  of  the  remaining  half, 
20,000  found  sanctuary  in  foreign  lands,  Corsica,  Switzer- 
land, France,  and  Italy,  and  along  the  African  coast.  During 
the  following  year,  great  effort  was  made  by  the  British  and 
French  governments,  and  sympathetic  individuals  every- 
where, to  mitigate  the  sufferings  of  these  homeless  people 
who  had  been  driven  from  their  firesides  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth. 

But  I  must  not  forget  that  it  is  of  the  Serbians  in  Serbia 
of  whom  I  would  write,  the  singing  Serbs  of  the  gentle 
hearts  and  genial  firesides  who,  in  the  midst  of  a  turbulent 
land,  under  a  wise  and  generous  government,  have  managed 
to  preserve  the  autonomy  of  the  Serbian  States  as  well  as 
its  customs  and  traditions. 


254     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

In  June  and  July,  1916,  the  beaten  army  began  to  struggle 
out  of  Corfu,  bolstered  by  allied  support,  reequipped  and 
reclothed  by  allied  funds.  Many  still  suffered  the  effects 
of  the  retreat,  and  their  physical  stamina  was  not  of  the 
strongest ;  but  there  were  30,000  Serbs  at  the  front  with 
the  alhed  forces  that  drove  the  Austrians  from  Monastir ! 

By  April,  1917,  there  were  50,000  civiUan  refugees  in  the 
little  recaptured  area,  crowded  chiefly  into  the  shell-raked 
city  and  the  wretched  outlying  villages;  and  there  were 
200,000  more  scattered  through  the  bleak  plains  of  Mace- 
donia all  the  way  to  Saloniki.  It  was  here  in  this  region 
that  the  Red  Cross  found  them  in  the  summer  of  1917, 
Uving  in  cellars,  barns,  churches,  and  mosques,  subsisting 
as  best  they  could,  menaced  by  cold,  hunger,  and  disease. 
The  enemy  had  stripped  the  countryside  of  its  grain,  horses, 
cattle,  food,  and  metals ;  there  was  nothing,  they  say,  not 
even  a  match  with  which  to  start  a  fire.  Dearth,  indeed ! 
To  go  into  such  desolation  was  like  going  into  a  wilderness. 
It  was  like  making  the  world  over  again. 

The  base  of  the  Red  Cross  activity  was,  perforce,  the 
Greek  port  of  Saloniki  that  was  having  troubles  enough  of 
its  own  —  with  half  of  the  city  homeless  after  the  great  fire  — 
without  10,000  additional  refugees.  Here  the  Red  Cross 
established  soup  kitchens  ;  the  sight  of  hot,  appetizing  food 
apparently  conjured  out  of  empty  air  seemed  a  mysterious 
feat  to  the  natives ;  barracks,  sewing  rooms,  hospitals,  and 
dispensaries  were  set  up  in  accordance  with  the  regular 
prescribed  formula  for  the  building  up  of  civilian  relief. 
Chaos  enough  there  was  in  the  city  of  Saloniki,  more  cosmo- 
politan than  ever  now  with  its  narrow,  hilly  streets  filled 
with  strange,  surging  throngs ;  with  strange  ships  in  its 
harbors  and  Turkish  guns  trained  at  its  heart ;  with  strange 
soldiers  in  its  streets  and  cafes  and  bazaars  and  always  the 
cr3dng,  hungry  masses  that  the  Red  Cross  had  come  to  feed 
and  comfort.     A  dismal,  endless,  hopeless  task  it  seemed 


THE    TRAGEDY   OF   THE    EAST  255 

and  more  wretched,  somehow,  than  a  similar  task  had 
seemed  in  other  places.  There  was  so  little  on  which  to 
build,  either  materially  or  spiritually. 

In  the  harbor  of  Alexandria,  Egypt,  lay  the  collier  Coesar, 
loaded  with  food,  clothing,  and  medicine,  which  had  been 
sent  by  the  American  Committee  for  Armenian  and  Syrian 
relief.  Its  destination  had  been  Beirut  on  the  Syrian  coast, 
but  operations  in  the  Mediterranean  had  checked  its  de- 
parture. Of  this  the  Red  Cross  took  immediate  advantage, 
buying  the  shipload  of  supplies  outright  and  bringing  them 
at  once  to  the  distribution  point.  This  was  more  than 
timely;  it  was  like  manna  from  Heaven  in  this  remote 
region  which,  inaccessible  enough  to  the  western  world  in 
normal  times,  was  now  struggling  with  the  additional 
diflSculties  of  Turkish  gunboats,  Austrian  submarines,  and 
British  mines. 

At  this  point,  I  take  the  liberty  of  making  a  slight 
digression  in  order  to  extend  the  gratitude  of  the  Red 
Cross  to  the  American  Committee  for  Armenian  and 
Syrian  Relief  for  its  splendid  cooperation  in  the  Near  East. 
This  had  been  one  of  the  first  rehef  agencies  in  the  field 
endeavoring  to  salvage  the  thousands  of  star\'ing  and 
homeless  people  along  the  coast  of  Palestine  and  ancient 
Judea.  After  our  coming  we  were  glad  in  many  instances 
to  profit  by  their  experiences  and  to  follow  their  example. 
What  the  Red  Cross  could  not  do  the  Armenian  and  Syrian 
Committee  did ;  territory  untouched  by  the  Red  Cross 
was  covered  by  them,  and  throughout  there  was  the  spirit 
of  friendly  understanding  and  cooperation  and  a  happy 
dovetailing  of  enterprise  at  all  points  where  they  met  on  a 
common  platform.  It  is  therefore  timely  that  due  thanks 
be  extended  to  this  capable  organization  that  contributed 
so  largely  to  the  relief  so  vitally  needed  in  this  desolate 
region. 

In  Serbia  proper  the  Red  Cross  centered  its  refugee  work 


256     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS  IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

in  Vodena,  a  city  half-way  between  Saloniki  and  Monastir, 
in  which  about  5000  refugees  had  found  shelter.  The  first 
act  of  the  Red  Cross  was  the  setting  up  of  a  fifty-bed  hos- 
pital in  a  building  supplied  by  the  Greek  Government; 
later,  a  second  one  of  twice  the  capacity  was  established 
at  Banitza,  sixty-five  miles  from  Saloniki. 

The  villages  about  Monastir  were  crowded  with  home- 
less people  who  would  not  be  dragged  from  their  shattered 
firesides.  To  pamper  this  home-clinging  spirit  the  Red 
Cross  constructed  a  number  of  adobe  houses  on  frame- 
works of  wattles,  a  type  of  dwelling  peculiar  to  all  the 
Mediterranean  countries  and  the  Near  East.  In  Saloniki, 
forests  of  tents  were  laid  in  the  suburbs  to  shelter  the  fire 
victims,  and  milk  was  distributed  regularly  to  the  children. 
Clothing,  shoes,  and  staple  foodstuffs  which  they  could  not 
give  to  the  penniless  strangers  within  their  gates,  were 
purchased  from  the  local  shops  ;  and,  in  this  way,  the  hungry 
were  fed,  the  naked  clothed,  and  the  Red  Cross  became 
the  wonder-worker  of  the  East. 

For  the  troops,  rolling  canteens  like  those  in  use  on  other 
battlefronts  were  dispatched  to  the  Serbian  front ;  motor 
trucks  were  ordered  from  Italy;  and  quantities  of  canvas 
for  beds  and  hospital  stretchers  were  purchased  and  made 
up.  An  artificial  limb  factory  was  started  in  Saloniki, 
while  a  staff  of  American  dentists  with  ten  fully  equipped 
dental  ambulances  was  sent  from  New  York  for  service  with 
the  Serb  armies.  A  sum  of  $50,000  was  given  to  the  Serbian 
Red  Cross,  which  had  moved  its  headquarters  to  Corfu, 
with  a  branch  in  Geneva. 

I  have  not  yet  mentioned  the  Serbian  prisoners  of  war  in 
Austria  and  Bulgaria.  These,  also,  became  the  wards  of 
the  Red  Cross,  and  theirs  is  yet  another  chapter  in  the  story 
of  terror  and  cruelty.  There  were  154,000  of  them  in  cap- 
tivity, facing  the  Austrian  winter  without  proper  food  or 
clothing.     The  Red  Cross  made  an  appropriation  of  $70,000 


THE   TRAGEDY   OF   THE   EAST  267 

to  take  care  of  their  most  vital  needs,  and  tons  of  supplies 
soon  began  to  move  through  Berne  to  Serbs  in  enemy 
prison  camps.  The  story  of  these  prisoners  is  an  old  one, 
and  it  were  trite  to  dwell  anew  on  prison  camp  hfe  with  its 
attendant  horrors  of  pestilence,  death,  starvation,  cruelty, 
and  cold  in  a  strange  and  friendless  land.  Many  a  Serb 
in  his  ransomed  home  to-day  owes  his  hfe  to  the  food  sent 
by  the  Red  Cross.  In  addition,  generous  appropriation  was 
made  for  the  sustenance  and  medical  care  of  tubercular 
Serbs  in  France,  Switzerland,  and  Italy. 

Thus  the  Red  Cross  intrenched  itself  in  the  hearts  and 
hearths  of  Serbia.  With  the  grand  rally  of  the  Serbian  Army 
in  the  autumn  of  1918,  when  all  events  moved  towards  the 
great  chmax,  the  Red  Cross  was  still  there  with  its  rolhng 
canteens  and  its  comforts,  although  it  was  desolate  enough 
at  that,  and  sounds  far  more  encouraging  in  printed  words 
than  it  actually  was,  for  the  whole  situation  was  hopeless 
and  lacking  in  all  those  essentials  that  are  absolute 
necessities  to  the  efficiency  of  the  spoiled  and  pampered 
westerner.  It  was  a  last,  grand  desperate  effort,  backed  up 
by  allied  aid,  against  a  staggering  foe.  The  last  bitter 
campaign  was  marked  by  great  suffering  among  the  troops. 
There  were  no  women  nurses,  no  anaesthetics,  no  surgical 
dressings  save  the  pitifully  small  amount  the  Red  Cross 
was  able  to  supply,  for  the  transportation  problem  was 
always  an  uncertain  factor,  one  on  which  wagers  could  not 
safely  be  laid  at  any  time.  Tonnage  was  more  precious 
than  the  jewels  of  a  Rajah,  and  when  it  came  to  the  loading 
of  a  rehef  ship  there  was  always  a  debate  as  to  which  should 
be  given  preference  —  food,  clothing,  medical  supplies,  or 
surgical  dressings,  each  item  being  needed  as  badly  as  the 
other.  If  some  were  clothed,  wounds  were  neglected ;  if 
wounds  were  dressed,  backs  went  bare  or  stomachs  empty. 
Over  1600,000  was  spent  for  relief  supplies  in  Serbia,  and 
even  then,  the  Red  Cross  task  was  only  half  done. 


258     THE   AMERICAN   RED    CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Looking  down  the  long  vista  of  her  history,  Serbia  will 
find  no  page  that  is  illumined  with  more  valorous  deeds 
and  superhuman  courage  in  the  face  of  titanic  odds  than 
that  which  fills  her  r61e  in  the  Great  War  —  "Serbia  that 
fights  only  for  freedom  and  surrenders  only  to  God." 


Of  all  the  strange,  incongruous  settings  that  had  to  do 
with  the  transplanting  of  the  Red  Cross  and  its  modern 
trappings,  there  have  been  none  to  compare  with  Greece 
—  that  cradle  of  art  and  classic  antiquity,  whose  finger- 
prints are  visible  through  the  ages  wherever  men  have  tried 
to  live  greatly.  Strange,  indeed,  it  must  have  seemed  to 
see  the  all  too  familiar  bread  lines  and  soup  kitchens  and 
dispensaries  within  the  shadow  of  the  towering  Acropo- 
lis, white  against  the  Athenian  sky  under  the  frown  of 
Olympus  or  in  the  Daphne  haunted  glades  of  Tempe. 

The  role  of  the  Red  Cross  in  ancient  Hellas  was  confined 
almost  entirely  to  civilian  relief  work,  although  this  does 
not  mean  that  its  field  there  was  a  narrow  one  or  in  any 
way  circumscribed.  The  hordes  of  destitute  Greeks  could 
not  have  been  greater  nor  more  forlorn  had  there  been  a 
wholesale  enemy  invasion  of  the  Hellenic  peninsula.  Thou- 
sands of  Greeks,  living  outside  of  Greece  in  Bulgaria  and 
Turkey,  became  the  objects  of  cruelest  oppression  and  per- 
secution when,  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  it  was  decreed 
that  every  Christian  should  be  driven  from  Islam  at  the 
point  of  the  sword.  The  Twentieth  Century  reverted 
overnight  to  the  Seventh,  the  shoddy  cloak  of  tolerance 
fell  from  the  shoulders  of  Turkey,  and  the  Holy  War  was 
on  as  if  there  had  been  no  surcease.  Saladin  rode  again  in 
defense  of  Acre. 

In  1914  Greece  had  just  emerged  from  the  Balkan  struggle 
of  1912-1913  and  had  acquired  by  the  treaty  of  Bucharest  a 
portion   of   Eastern   Macedonia,  an   indifferent   land,  un- 


THE   TRAGEDY   OF   THE   EAST  259 

productive,  peopled  with  refugees  driven  out  of  Bulgaria, 
or  residents  whose  homes  had  been  laid  waste  during  the 
campaigns  of  the  Balkan  wars  of  those  years.  It  was  a 
barren  countryside  filled  with  a  hungry,  clamorous  people. 
So  Greece  already  had  her  refugee  problem  when  the  holo- 
caust of  Europe  took  flame ;  Belgium,  France,  and  Serbia 
were  old  stories  to  her,  and  the  war  but  served  to  enhance 
her  difficulties. 

The  poUtical  position  of  Greece  was  a  peculiar  one.  We 
are  all  familiar  with  the  circumstances  that  led  up  to  the 
abdication  of  King  Constantine  and  the  final  decision  of 
Greece  to  enter  the  war  as  an  allied  power  in  June,  1917. 
These  civil  disturbances  had  not  served  to  heighten  the 
morale  of  the  people,  and  at  the  time  of  the  appeal  to  the 
American  Red  Cross,  Greece  was  a  sad,  tottering,  hungry 
land,  with  swarms  of  her  own  people  knocking  at  her  gates 
for  admittance,  demanding  shelter  and  food  that  she  could 
not  give. 

Countless  stories  have  come  from  out  of  the  East  in  regard 
to  Bulgarian  and  Turkish  atrocities,  of  hordes  of  women  and 
children  driven  naked  across  the  land,  forced  to  march  with- 
out food,  clothing,  or  shelter  under  the  pitiless  desert  skies  — 
of  young  girls  carried  off  into  slavery,  of  massacres  in  the 
silent  depths  of  Asia  Minor,  of  Greek  children  kidnapped  by 
the  Bulgars  and  forcibly  denationalized,  and  of  countless 
other  cruelties  too  numerous  and  too  terrible  to  relate. 
Our  task  there  was  to  salvage  the  unhappy  remainder 
that  knocked  at  our  doors,  faint  with  hunger,  burning 
with  fever,  or  driven  insane  by  their  experiences. 

When,  at  the  close  of  the  year  1917,  the  Greek  Red  Cross 
appealed  for  aid,  an  American  Red  Cross  representative 
was  sent  from  Saloniki  to  Athens  to  consult  with  the  Greek 
Government  and  the  Red  Cross,  while  only  a  small  com- 
mission was  sent  through  the  interior  to  look  over  the 
field.     Of  course  the  usual  quota  of  relief  supplies  was  in 


260     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

order :  food,  clothing,  surgical  dressings,  and  medical  needs, 
as  well  as  hospital  equipment,  sewing  machines,  and  uncut 
materials,  hospital  bedding,  towels,  linen,  and  ambulances. 

There  were  50,000  Greek  refugees  in  the  islands  of  the 
iEgean  Sea  —  those  beautiful  storied  islands,  lying  like 
jewels  on  the  bosom  of  the  bright  water,  past  which  the 
Greek  fleet  had  sailed  on  its  way  to  lUium,  past  which  the 
adventurous  Argosy  had  run,  whose  shores  are  cloudy  with 
almond  blossoms  in  the  spring!  These  wanderers  were 
utterly  destitute,  having  been  driven  out  of  Turkey  with 
only  the  few  poor  rags  that  covered  them. 

In  the  homeland,  the  mobilization  of  the  forces  had  left 
the  same  economic  problems  behind  as  it  did  in  other  lands. 
After  the  Saloniki  fire,  still  more  homeless  ones  thronged 
the  streets,  while  the  civilian  hospitals  were  being  emptied 
to  take  care  of  the  wounded. 

But  the  Red  Cross  had  done  so  much  it  could  do  more. 
In  the  early  emergency,  fifty  tons  of  general  supplies  were 
purchased  from  the  Serbian  Commission  for  use  in  Mace- 
donia, and  at  the  end  of  September,  1918,  the  special  Com- 
mission for  Greece  set  out  with  a  personnel  of  seventy. 
By  that  time,  the  whole  situation  in  the  Balkans  had 
changed  for  the  better :  Bulgaria  had  capitulated ;  the 
flag  of  the  Christian  had  been  raised  over  Jerusalem ;  the 
Red  Cross  found  itself  in  a  more  cheerful  spiritual  atmos- 
phere when  the  new  Commission  arrived  at  Saloniki.  This, 
of  course,  was  very  close  to  the  end  of  the  war.  With  the 
obligations  of  the  army  removed,  the  way  became  at  once 
easier  and  the  Red  Cross  has  since  been  steadily  helping 
Greece  back  to  her  hearthfires.  A  good-sized  appropriation 
was  set  aside  for  the  rehabilitation  of  Greek  refugees,  while 
arrangements  were  made  for  the  shipment  of  320  tons  of 
foodstuffs  monthly  for  a  period  of  three  months,  coming 
from  Italian  ports  to  the  Piraeus  and  the  Island  of  Mitylene. 

In  the  city  of  Athens,  the  children  became  the  special 


THE    TRAGEDY   OF   THE   EAST  261 

charge  of  the  Red  Cross  as  they  have  always  been  wherever 
the  Red  Cross  has  gone.  Centers  for  the  care  of  children 
of  employed  mothers  were  opened,  and  a  daily  milk  ration 
provided  for;  while  sewing  rooms  were  opened  not  only 
in  Athens  but  on  the  islands  of  Chios,  Samos,  and  Mitylene 
in  the  iEgean  Sea  and  in  Serres,  Kavalla,  and  Drama,  the 
Macedonian  centers  of  Red  Cross  work.  In  addition  to 
this,  a  number  of  Greek  women  were  given  special  training 
in  care  of  children  and  home  hygiene,  —  after  the  manner 
followed  in  France,  —  and  by  which  the  trained  women  in 
the  role  of  visiting  practical  nurses  could  take  the  child 
welfare  idea  into  the  Greek  homes.  The  Red  Cross  was 
also  able  to  go  into  Bulgarian  territory  and  give  some  com- 
fort to  a  number  of  Greek  prisoners  in  internment  camps 
there. 

The  Red  Cross  came  late  to  Greece,  perhaps,  but  more 
than  one  report  says  that  its  presence  had  a  most  enlivening 
and  heartening  effect  upon  the  people.  Certainly,  owing  to 
the  circumstances  of  the  country,  the  Greek  agencies  were 
unable  to  handle  the  sorry  situation  that  confronted  them. 
It  was  fortunate  indeed  that  the  Red  Cross  was  able  to  step 
into  the  emergency  and  discharge  so  well  its  obligations. 


In  April,  1918,  the  Red  Cross  War  Council  received  from 
the  American  Committee  for  Syrian  and  Armenian  Relief 
the  following  cablegram  which  gives  a  fragmentary  picture 
of  the  conditions  which  prevailed  in  Palestine  at  that  time, 
and  supplies  the  reason  for  the  Red  Cross'  going  into  the 
Holy  Land :  — 

Fifteen  hundred  Armenians,  survivors  of  many  thousands  exiled  from 
Adana,  Kharne,  Marash,  Aintab,  Ourfa-Kessab,  two  and  a  half  years  ago, 
to  the  wilderness  east  of  the  Jordan,  found  trekking  to  Jericho.  For 
months  had  been  compelled  by  Turks  to  break  stone  on  roads.  Brought 
to  Jerusalem  in  British  motor  trucks.  Although  weak  and  hungry,  faces 
lighted  up  at  first  glimpse  of  Mount  of  Olives. 


262     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Six  thousand  Syrian  refugees  from  Es  Salt  vicinity  expected  this  week. 
We  will  equip  expeditions  to  meet  exiles  and  will  provide  industrial  relief 
if  additional  funds  can  be  sent.  Five  hundred  Armenians  rescued  by 
Arabs  at  Tawfile,  between  Maan  and  Dead  Sea,  will  be  moved  to  Port 
Said.  For  months  from  twenty  to  thirty  died  daily  of  starvation.  Orig- 
inal number  ten  thousand.  Following  message  has  come  through  from 
Tawfile  :    "The  price  of  a  life  is  the  price  of  bread." 

Fortunately  for  us  the  British  Armies  had  cleared  the 
way.  They  were  at  Antioch  far  to  the  North,  in  Jerusalem 
and  in  Jericho,  and  were  crossing  the  river  Jordan.  The 
British  Relief  Fund  for  Palestine  and  Syria  had  already 
established  Medical  Units  at  Gaza,  Hebron,  Jaffa,  and 
Jerusalem  and  invited  the  participation  of  the  Red  Cross. 
Until  the  coming  of  the  British  Committee,  reUef  in  Pales- 
tine and  other  near  parts  of  Asia  Minor  had  been  in  the  hands 
of  the  American  Committee  for  Armenian  and  Syrian  Re- 
lief, which  had  sent  $10,000,000  worth  of  suppUes,  $3,000,000 
of  which  had  been  contributed  by  the  Red  Cross  prior  to 
our  active  participation  in  this  field. 

So  in  March,  1918,  the  special  Red  Cross  Commission 
for  Palestine  sailed  from  New  York  with  hundreds  of  tons 
of  supplies  and  complete  traveling  and  camping  equipment. 
The  route  was  long,  for  travel  in  the  Mediterranean  was 
still  hazardous  and  they  went  around  the  African  con- 
tinent, touching  at  Ceylon  and  on  through  the  Red  Sea, 
so  that  it  was  June  before  the  Mission  arrived  at  the  port  of 
Beirut. 

The  field  before  them  in  the  Holy  Land  embraced  half  the 
measure  of  Asia.  There  was  no  turning  back,  once  begun. 
Although  housing  and  sanitary  conditions  in  that  part  of 
the  world  had  never  been  ideal,  according  to  occidental 
standards,  there  was,  fortunately,  a  more  substantial  back- 
ground on  which  to  build  than  there  had  been  at  other 
relief  points;  for  one  thing,  the  British  engineers  were 
engaged  in  intensive  sanitation  work  in  Jerusalem  itself, 
and  after  the  fresh  waters  from  the  hills  had  been  brought 


THE   TRAGEDY   OF   THE   EAST  263 

down  to  the  city  by  means  of  modern  plumbing  and  pump- 
ing, the  water-skins,  filthy  though  picturesque,  disappeared 
from  the  streets  for  the  first  time  in  two  thousand  or  more 
years.  Indeed,  permit  me  to  say  here,  that  the  work  of 
the  Red  Cross  in  Palestine  was  made  largely  possible  through 
the  generous  and  benevolent  attitude  manifested  by  the 
British  authorities  in  the  occupied  enemy  territory,  and  by 
their  marvelous  and  rapid  organization  and  control  of  the 
civic  functions.  On  the  part  of  the  officials  there  was  always 
present  the  spirit  of  the  most  cordial  welcome  and  a  generous 
willingness  to  meet  us  halfway  in  all  our  undertakings. 

The  Jerusalem  that  the  Red  Cross  Commission  found  was 
a  teaming  babel,  orderly  enough  under  British  Army  dis- 
cipline, of  course ;  but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  ancient  city  with 
so  many  strange  peoples  mingling  amicably  in  its  streets, 
with  heavy  British  cars  and  Army  camions  disturbing  the 
calm  of  the  stolid  donkeys,  the  sleepy  camels  and  the  wailing 
thousands  of  refugees  —  more  wretched  than  those  that  have 
wept  before  its  walls  for  a  thousand  years,  and  more  forlorn 
than  the  lepers  that  used  to  ask  alms  at  the  gate  —  ever 
knew  times  as  stirring  or  as  full  of  wonderment  as  these. 
On  a  Palm  Sunday  long  ago,  perhaps,  the  city  had  been  as 
crowded  with  surging  throngs ;  as  bewildered  and  as  clamor- 
ous, perhaps,  as  now  in  the  midsummer  of  the  year  of  our 
Lord,  1918 ;  but  that  was  a  very  long  time  ago  and  Jerusalem 
has  slept  and  dreamed  through  nearly  two  thousand  sum- 
mers since  then,  while  the  world  has  grown  old  about  it  and 
the  crescent  of  the  Turk  has  hung  over  its  gates. 

Therefore  it  was  an  unique  atmosphere  in  which  the 
Red  Cross  found  itself:  the  birth-spot  of  Christ  just  set 
free  from  the  Saracen,  spread  over  with  villages  that 
had  been  villages  when  Joshua  conquered  Canaan,  when 
Abraham  journeyed  from  the  plains  of  the  Jordan  down 
into  Hebron ;  and  through  which  David  had  passed  when 
he  was  fleeing  into  the  wilderness  from  Saul  —  villages  that 


264     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

looked  for  all  the  world  like  western  Indian  pueblo  villages, 
clinging  old  and  brown  and  shapeless  to  the  hills.  It  would 
be  strange,  indeed,  if  a  little  time  was  not  given  to  medita- 
tion in  a  place  of  such  antiquity,  surcharged  with  memories 
that  have  so  vitally  influenced  the  life  of  the  world.  One 
can  stand  on  one  of  the  rolling  Judean  hills  and  watch  the 
shepherds  with  their  flocks  in  the  purple  shade  of  the  olive 
trees;  two  thousand  years  ago  they  might  have  seen  the 
Star  from  that  very  spot,  for  Bethlehem  lay  just  across  the 
valley. 

But  the  pressing  need,  according  to  all  accounts,  was  for 
action  and  not  meditation.  The  first  relief  work  under- 
taken was  among  the  homeless  refugees,  crowded  into 
the  city  of  Jerusalem,  housed  in  various  odd  buildings, 
and  tented  in  the  vacant  spaces.  Strangely  enough,  among 
them  were  a  number  of  Russian  women  pilgrims,  stranded 
in  Jerusalem  by  the  war,  although  they  are  not  to  be 
classed  with  the  type  of  refugee  that  had  trudged  across 
the  Jordan  Valley :  these  were  intelligent,  clean,  hard- 
working, devoutly  religious  women  of  fine  physique  and 
handsome  Slav  features,  who  welcomed  the  advent  of  the 
Red  Cross  sewing  rooms  that  were  soon  opened. 

In  the  city  of  Jerusalem  fifteen  hundred  women  —  Mos- 
lem, Jewish,  and  Christian  —  were  employed  in  the  indus- 
trial workrooms  instituted  by  the  Red  Cross,  and  engaged 
in  spinning,  weaving,  knitting,  dressmaking,  basketry,  rug 
making,  mattress  making,  embroidery,  and  lace  work.  The 
Red  Cross  custom  of  helping  the  refugees  to  help  themselves 
has  always  made  for  contentment  and  satisfaction  in  the  sub- 
jects of  our  aid,  giving  work  to  impatient,  idle  fingers  and, 
thereby,  assuring  them  of  the  type  and  character  of  cloth- 
ing they  preferred  —  a  factor  to  be  considered  if  they  were 
to  attain  any  measure  of  happiness.  It  was  familiar  things 
they  wanted,  things  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed, 
things  they  had  known  through  all  their  dark  narrow  lives. 


THE   TRAGEDY   OF   THE   EAST  265 

They  admire  western  culture,  perhaps,  but  they  do  not 
want  it  —  not  much  of  it ;  in  fact,  they  are  rather  afraid  of  it. 

There  were  ten  refugee  centers  in  the  city,  two  of  which 
were  on  the  Mount  of  Ohves ;  there  was  an  orphanage  for 
boys,  conducted  by  German  agencies  before  the  war  and 
which  the  British  desired  the  Red  Cross  to  take  over.  Later 
it  became  necessary  to  estabhsh  another  orphanage  for  boys 
and  one  for  girls.  Following  the  opening  of  the  American 
Red  Cross  Hospital  in  the  city,  there  also  was  established 
a  series  of  clinics  for  children  and  adults  in  the  city  and  in 
four  outside  centers.  Six  hundred  orphans  formerly  the 
charges  of  the  British  Relief  Committee  were  taken  in 
hand,  and  a  liaison  was  effected  with  the  Zionist  Unit  for 
the  relief  of  suffering  Jews. 

At  Port  Said,  at  the  head  of  the  Suez  Canal  just  across 
that  curve  of  the  land  towards  the  west,  where  Asia  Minor 
ends  and  Africa  begins,  a  number  of  Armenian  refugees 
were  concentrated  under  the  charge  of  the  Red  Cross, 
assisted  by  the  Armenian  Society  and  the  British  Relief 
Fund  for  Palestine  and  Syria. 

Refugee  work  along  the  foregoing  hues  was  conducted 
in  five  centers  in  the  Holy  Land  :  in  Mejel,  where  a  hospital 
was  established;  in  Remleh,  with  a  clinic  supplementing 
the  work  of  the  Government  hospital ;  in  Jaffa,  a  few  miles 
west  of  Jerusalem  on  the  coast ;  at  Ram  Allah  and  at 
Wadi-Surar,  in  western  Palestine,  where  two  thousand  or 
more  refugees  were  gathered  under  tents  on  the  plain. 
Here  was  also  a  halfway  camp  for  Armenians  being  taken 
to  Port  Said,  and  a  flourishing  school  of  six  or  seven  hundred 
native  children.  Also,  a  small  civilian  hospital  was  estab- 
lished in  Nazareth.  In  the  agricultural  districts,  and 
Palestine  is  largely  a  pastoral  land,  ox-teams  were  secured 
for  indigent  farmers. 

Altogether  the  field  in  Palestine  was  most  satisfactory, 
and  with  the  cessation  of  hostilities  and  the  subsequent 


266    THE   AMERICAN  RED   CROSS  IN  THE   GREAT  WAR 

opening  of  the  ocean  lanes  and  ports,  many  problems  that 
had  existed  as  decidedly  material  barriers  to  the  progress 
of  relief  work  have  disappeared.  All  the  routes  to  Asia 
are  open  now.  Supplies  can  go  through  and  keep  on  going 
through  without  cessation. 

For  all  this  work,  including  food,  medical,  surgical,  and 
sanitary  supplies,  salaries  and  expenses,  the  War  Council 
of  the  Red  Cross  had  appropriated  by  October  1,  $558,479. 
In  addition  to  this,  a  monthly  contribution  of  $50,000  is 
made  to  the  Red  Cross  by  the  Armenian  and  Syrian  Relief 
Committee  for  the  work  among  the  civilian  population. 

The  end  of  the  war,  however,  does  not  mean  the  end  of 
want  or  the  end  of  suffering  or  disease  in  the  Holy  Land. 
It  is  a  land  sunk  deep  in  tradition  and  superstition  and  into 
which  the  light  of  modern  science  or  modern  thought  has 
not  penetrated ;  it  is  a  land  that  has  long  suffered  oppression 
and  cruelty  and  misunderstanding,  where  the  spirit  of  the 
peoples  has  been  shrunken  and  terrified  by  persecution. 
But  in  this  land  the  Red  Cross  has  set  a  bright  lamp,  and 
we  hope  it  will  shine  forever,  bringing  light  and  hope  and 
good  will  to  the  old,  old  lands  of  the  East. 


CHAPTER  XX 

RUSSIA 

A  Great  Problem  —  Red  Cross  in  Russia  in  1917  —  Asiatic  Fatalism  — 
Moscow  —  Russian  Red  Cross  —  Conditions  in  Petrograd  —  Trans- 
Siberian  Railway  —  Loyalty  of  the  Employees  —  Czecho-Slovaks  — 
The  Lost  Children  of  the  Urals  —  Russian  Prisoners  Released  from 
Germany  —  United  States  Marines  and  Infantry  in  Russia  —  The 
Brooklyn  —  Fourteenth  Division  —  Russian  Island  —  Shipments  by 
Mountain  and  Pacific  Divisions  to  San  Francisco  —  $3,500,000  Ap- 
propriated by  War  Council  —  Red  Cross  Equips  360,000  Czecho- 
slovak and  Russian  Soldiers' —  Moscow  and  the  Red  Cross  Again  — 
New  Red  Cross  Commission  —  Red  Cross  Supply  Ship —  Archangel, 

IT  is  a  bolder  pen  than  mine  that  essays  to  write  of  Russia 
to-day,  even  from  the  standpoint  of  relief  work  carried 
on  within  its  borders.  Perhaps  everything  that  there  is  to 
be  said  of  Russia  that  will  convey  an  idea  of  its  present 
condition  —  if  there  be  a  present  condition  in  a  land  that  is 
constantly  changing  —  has  been  said.  Perhaps  everyone 
who  reads  this  will  have  his  own  idea  of  Russia,  as  nearly 
every  one  of  us  has  —  each  of  those  ideas  different,  each  of 
them  short  of  the  truth  in  varying  degrees,  for  Russia,  un- 
consciously, hides  herself  from  those  most  anxious  to  under- 
stand her.  Those  who  have  been  in  Russia  at  any  time  the 
last  three  years  think  they  have  seen  Russia ;  almost  believe 
that  they  understand  Russia;  but  they  do  not.  Russia 
is  as  a  kaleidoscope.  We  look  upon  to-day's  picture  and 
say :  "This  is  Russia !"  and  scarcely  have  the  words  left  our 
lips  than  there  is  a  change  and  we  discover  that  what  we 
thought  was  Russia  is   not  Russia  at  all.     It  was  only  a 

267 


268     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

distorted  vision.  At  that,  I  am  most  ready  to  believe  and 
not  a  few  who  have  been  there  agree  with  me  that  the 
workers  of  the  American  Red  Cross  and  other  reUef  agencies 
came  closer  to  that  vague,  intangible  thing  that  we  like  to 
speak  of  poetically  as  the  soul  of  Russia,  than  a  host  of 
others  who  were  never  in  close  touch  with  the  people  — 
the  common  people,  the  peasants,  and  the  people  of  the  land, 
those  teeming  millions  of  the  steppes  struggling  in  the  dark 
to  discover  just  what  the  demise  of  the  Romanoffs  will  mean 
to  them. 

Russia  is  more  than  a  country;  it  is  a  world  in  itself. 
Russia  has  every  imaginable  thing  that  land  or  water  can 
hold  in  store  for  the  benefit  of  mankind,  and  has  it  in  a 
measure  that  is  incalculable :  there  are  fertile  wheatlands 
capable  of  yielding  billions  of  bushels  of  grain,  and  mountains 
that  are  rich  in  ore,  silver,  gold,  and  precious  stones  that 
have  slept  there  through  the  ages ;  there  are  valleys  gushing 
with  oil,  vineyards  heavy  with  wine,  waters  teeming  with 
fish,  and  forests  untouched.  If  ever  a  land  flowed  with  milk 
and  honey,  it  is  Russia  —  Russia  the  virgin. 

It  was  into  this  country,  this  Garden  of  Alladin,  shudder- 
ing under  the  suddenness  and  swiftness  of  the  revolution 
that  the  Red  Cross  went,  drawn  by  the  suffering  and  by 
the  needs  of  the  Allied  and  American  forces  there  — 
(albeit  the  Red  Cross  was  in  Russia  before  foreign  troops 
were  sent  in).  It  was  an  effort  to  help  the  affected  pop- 
ulation to  withstand  the  stress  of  the  times  as  best  they 
could  ;  often  help  of  this  kind,  at  such  a  time,  is  as  efficacious 
as  forests  of  bayonets,  although  to  say  so  in  the  Russian 
situation  were  an  exaggeration.  Yet,  although  Russia  is 
still  in  a  state  of  flux,  like  hot  metal  that  has  not  found 
its  mold,  the  work  of  the  Red  Cross,  infinitesimal  as  it  was 
in  comparison  with  the  crying  need  of  Russia,  has  not  been 
in  vain.  The  Red  Cross  could  not  lead  Russia  to  her  destiny, 
but  it  could  hold  out  a  timely  flame  of  hope  to  the  be- 


RUSSIA  269 

wildered,  suffering  millions  that  poured  through  the  steppes 
—  12,000,000  they  say  it  was  —  running  away  from  the 
Frankenstein  of  their  own  hands'  creating;  it  could  show 
them  that  human  understanding  and  human  kindness  still 
existed ;  it  could  point  the  better  way,  although  it  could  not 
command. 

When  the  great  army  of  Russia  surged  behind  the  standard 
of  the  Little  Father,  up  and  down  Petrograd  and  the  Carpa- 
thians to  the  frontiers  of  Prussia  and  back,  see-sawing  across 
the  land  —  now  driving  the  foe  before  them,  now  giving 
ground  without  resistance  —  they  left  the  same  wake  of 
suffering  as  did  the  armies  in  Belgium,  Serbia,  and  France. 
But  it  was  greater,  it  was  more  remote  from  relief,  and  it 
was  voiceless.  The  Russian  is  Asiatic  in  his  fatalism. 
Centuries  of  oppression  have  taught  him  not  to  complain. 

But  overnight,  Russia  roused  from  her  centuries  of 
passivity.  The  Little  Father  no  longer  sat  on  the  great 
throne  in  Petrograd.  The  Czar  was  a  hunted  exile  in  his 
own  land  and  Russia  was  free ! 

It  is  impossible  to  tell  of  the  Red  Cross  in  Russia 
without  going  into  the  conditions  in  that  country ;  for 
vague  and  imperfect  though  it,  obviously,  must  be,  the 
work  and  policy  of  the  Red  Cross  were  molded  and 
limited  by  the  political  situation  there.  Of  all  theaters 
of  operation  in  which  the  Red  Cross  was  active,  that 
of  ancient  Moscow  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  most 
difficult,  even  if  it  was  the  most  interesting  and,  per- 
haps, the  most  romantic.  To  appreciate  the  difficulties 
with  which  the  Red  Cross  had  to  contend,  the  obstacles 
that  had  to  be  overcome,  one  must  know  or,  at  least,  have 
an  idea  of  Russia  at  the  time.  There,  the  Red  Cross 
was  confronted  by  problems  heretofore  unforeseen,  un- 
encountered.  That  its  position  was  a  difficult  one  will  be 
shown  by  the  brief  statement  that  it  was  a  neutral,  non- 
combatant  relief  agency  operating  in  a  land  whose  armies 


270     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

were  still  recognized  as  part  of  the  Allied  forces,  a  land  where 
those  who  were  revolutionists  one  day  were  peaceable  soil- 
tilling  folk  the  next,  or  where  the  stolid  peasant  of  yesterday 
became  the  cutthroat  of  to-morrow.  It  was  a  situation,  to 
say  the  least,  that  called  for  careful  diplomacy  and  great 
delicacy  of  action.  Contrary  to  the  expectations  of  the 
average  Russian,  to  whom  ''liberty"  and  ''democracy"  were 
but  vague  terms,  the  millennium,  as  we  all  know,  did  not  come 
with  the  dethronement  of  the  Romanoffs.  Russia  began  to 
wander  through  an  evil  dream,  while  her  children  cried 
for  food  and  the  enemy  menaced  her  borders;  the  Army 
refused  to  fight ;  authority  was  unrecognized ;  the  papers  of 
one  faction  were  worthless  in  the  eyes  of  the  next.  Leaders 
rose  and  fell,  commerce  was  at  a  standstill,  transportation 
failed ;  people  cried  for  that  bauble  of  freedom  that  they 
thought  was  within  their  grasp  and  killed  each  other  in  the 
streets,  in  misled  hope  of  gaining  the  much-sought  prize 
through  bloodshed ;  children  cried  for  food  and  ran  home- 
less into  the  fields.  The  Brest-Litovsk  Treaty  went  through 
at  last. 

Such  was  Russia  —  a  cauldron,  a  bedlam,  a  world  of  many 
minds  with  but  few  who  thought  they  saw  the  way,  and  a 
huge  remainder  doubting,  suspecting,  fearing,  longing  only 
for  some  sort  of  peace  and  stability  —  a  few  months  after 
the  outbreak  of  the  revolution,  when  the  American  Red 
Cross  came. 

Arriving  at  the  port  of  Vladivostok,  late  in  the  month  of 
July,  1917,  the  Commission  was  met  by  representatives  of 
the  Russian  Red  Cross,  which  had  come  through  the  months 
of  turmoil  a  sorry  wreck.  Perhaps  a  few  words  about  the 
Red  Cross  of  Russia  will  not  be  amiss  here,  since  the  rem- 
nants of  that  organization  were  to  form  an  important  liaison 
between  the  Russian  people  and  the  foreigners  who  had 
come  to  help  them.  Under  the  old  regime,  it  had  enjoyed 
fair  organization  and  had  ramified  the  empire  from  Petro- 


RUSSIA  271 

grad  to  the  Bering  Sea.  At  the  time  of  the  Russo-Japanese 
War,  it  had  thoroughly  supplemented  the  medical  corps  of 
the  armies  and  had  earned  the  confidence  of  the  people ; 
but  its  very  foundation  was  autocracy  and,  for  this  very 
reason,  it  went  down  with  the  fall  of  the  autocrats.  In 
February,  1918,  the  old  Central  Committee  was  dissolved 
by  force  of  arms,  and  its  guiding  members  found  little  mercy 
at  the  hands  of  the  revolutionists.  However,  in  the  summer 
of  1917,  a  sincere  body  of  its  representatives  met  the  Amer- 
icans at  Madivostok  and  assured  them  of  their  ready  cooper- 
ation and  assistance  wherever  it  might  be  needed.  In  a 
land  as  strange  to  Americans  as  Russia,  the  need  of  such 
assistance  was  obvious  and  the  desire  for  cooperation  un- 
questioned. 

The  American  Red  Cross  came  to  Russia  with  ambulances 
and  $200,000  worth  of  medical  supplies,  intending  later  to 
order  vast  shipments  of  medical  and  surgical  needs  that  were 
to  find  their  way  into  Russian  hospitals.  One  of  the  most 
urgent  needs  was  for  milk  in  the  cities.  The  infant  mortality 
in  those  congested  spots  was  increasing  each  day.  There 
were  150,000  homeless,  destitute  children  in  Petrograd 
that  winter.  The  food  situation  was  acute,  although  it 
was  largely  a  matter  of  transportation  rather  than  actual 
scarcity.  However,  it  became  necessary  to  send  food  to 
the  Russians  in  the  Murmansk  district  for  the  reason  that 
hungry  Petrograd  would  permit  no  food  to  go  into  that 
barren,  frozen  land.  To  the  south  of  the  Russian  capital 
there  were  acres  and  acres  of  ungarnered  grain,  while  the 
cities  cried  and  fought  for  bread.  A  Red  Cross  appro- 
priation of  $20,000  for  the  relief  of  officers'  and  soldiers' 
families  in  Petrograd  was  made  before  the  political  situa- 
tion became  so  acute  that  it  was  thought  best  to  remove 
the  Mission  from  the  capital,  which  lay  under  the  menace  of 
possible  German  occupation.  In  March,  1918,  the  Mission 
left  the  city,  and  with  the  American  Ambassador  proceeded 


272     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

to  Moscow,  leaving  one  man  behind  to  carry  on  the  milk 
distribution.  It  became  clear  that  under  the  existing  cir- 
cumstances, with  the  old  capital  and  the  surrounding  country 
under  the  menace  of  invasion,  that  the  work  of  the  Commission 
was  over.  The  field  of  action  became  daily  more  and  more 
circumscribed,  yet  they  stayed  on  —  in  Moscow,  Murmansk, 
and  in  Archangel,  doing  what  they  could.  Although  the 
land  was  in  ferment  and  confusion,  somewhere  beneath  the 
chaos  lay  Russia  reborn. 

There  were  two  utterly  unrelated  factors  that  helped 
Russia  through  the  strain  of  the  last  two  years,  factors  that 
made  many  things  possible  that  otherwise  would  have  been 
impossible,  one  of  which  gave  cause  for  continued  Red  Cross 
activity,  and  the  other  which  made  that  activity  possible  — 
two  factors  on  which  the  face  of  Russia  may  be  said  to  have 
depended  during  that  period :  the  Czecho-Slovaks  and  the 
Trans-Siberian  railway. 

I  will  speak  briefly  of  the  latter  first.  All  through  the 
turmoil  of  the  revolution,  the  great  iron  way  that  traverses 
Russia  from  Vladivostok  to  Petrograd  —  6000  miles  —  was 
kept  going,  somehow,  and  in  that  fact  lies  something  of 
the  quality  of  the  spirit  of  the  real  Russia :  the  employees  of 
the  railroad  yielded  to  the  lure  of  the  freebooters  and  the 
revolutionists  that  infested  the  land  less  than  any  other  class 
of  workers,  and  it  was  their  loyalty  and  steadfastness  that 
kept  the  interior  of  Russia  open,  for  they  worked  in  the 
face  of  unimaginable  difficulties,  and  enabled  supplies  to  be 
carried  from  Vladivostok  inland.  The  life  of  these  men  was 
one  of  exceptional  hazard.  Their  families  were  in  want  and 
misery ;  for  months  they  were  unpaid  ;  yet  something  made 
them  see  that  the  trains  had  to  move  if  ever  hope  was  to 
come  out  of  the  situation  at  all.  The  psychology  of  this 
vision,  this  urge  on  the  part  of  these  loyal  Russian  laboring 
men,  will  forever  remain  a  mystery.  It  was  something  of 
the  real  Russia,  the  Russia  that  is  worth  while,  the  Russia 


RUSSIA  273 

that  will  finally  triumph.  At  that,  I  do  not  mean  to  convey 
the  impression  that  the  Trans-Siberian  was  a  perfectly 
running,  perfectly  managed  road.  Far  from  it.  To  begin 
with,  the  rolling  stock  was  old  and  dilapidated,  the  engines 
badly  in  need  of  repair  and  fuel  was  scarce;  nor  did  they 
run  on  schedule  time,  breakdowns  being  the  rule  rather 
than  the  exception ;  but  they  ran,  somehow,  the  trains 
from  Vladivostok  inland,  and  it  was  through  this  medium 
that  Red  Cross  supplies  were  taken  into  Russia. 

And  the  Czecho-Slovaks :  Czech  soldiers  had  been  in 
Siberia  since  June,  having  joined  the  French  and  British 
forces  in  the  field.  The  care  of  the  wounded  became  an 
obligation  of  the  Red  Cross,  while  the  American  consul  at 
Harbin,  in  Manchuria,  was  asking  for  cooperation  with 
the  Russian  Red  Cross  there  to  take  care  of  the  refugees 
coming  in  along  the  routes  of  the  Trans-Siberian  Railway. 
The  misery  of  the  tumult  was  breaking  out  in  a  new  place. 
Around  the  Czecho-Slovaks  there  was  rallying  a  formidable 
force  of  Russians,  and  the  port  of  Vladivostok,  with  its 
vast  quantities  of  supplies  which  Sukhomlinoff  had  kept 
from  the  Russian  armies,  was  now  in  Allied  control.  A 
crisis  was  imminent.  Russia  wanted  peace  and  safety 
wherever  she  might  find  it :  she  would  take  it  from  Germany 
if  the  Allies  could  not  produce  it  the  more  quickly.  In  the 
meantime,  suffering  increased  and  the  cities,  though  in  the 
midst  of  plenty,  were  still  in  the  grip  of  famine  —  the 
peasants  refusing  to  give  up  their  grain  at  Government 
prices,  when  they  could  sell  it  in  the  open  market  for  its  weight 
in  gold.  Food  commissions,  created  by  the  soviet  govern- 
ment, were  sent  into  the  farming  regions,  there  to  wrest  the 
food  from  the  peasants  by  force,  if  they  could  obtain  it  no 
other  way.  Children  from  the  breadless  cities  were  sent 
into  the  country,  thrown  upon  the  charity  of  the  peasants 
for  their  food.  Some  months  later  1200  of  these*  ''lost 
children  of  the  Urals"  were  corralled  by  the  Red  Cross  in 


274    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

Tumen  and  Irbit  and  brought  back  from  savagery  to  normal 
life.  The  number  of  children  who  died  in  the  wilderness 
will  never  be  known. 

And  so,  as  in  Italy  the  previous  autunm,  the  Red  Cross 
went  "to  war"  —  it  having  been  decided  not  to  send,  at 
least  for  the  present,  an  American  Army  to  Russia  —  to  hold 
the  Russians  to  the  cause  of  right  and  save  her  from  that 
greater  chaos  that  wholesale  enemy  occupation  would 
precipitate ;  kindness  and  the  relief  of  pressing  needs  in  the 
way  of  food,  clothing,  and  shelter  was  the  means  by  which 
she  was  to  be  won  to  the  Alhes'  cause. 

Meanwhile,  across  the  German  frontiers,  Russian  pris- 
oners released  from  bondage  in  enemy  prison  camps  —  in 
some  instances  of  four  years'  duration  —  were  pouring  by 
the  thousands  back  into  a  Russia  they  did  not  know,  a 
Russia  that  had  come  into  being  while  they  were  rotting 
in  captivity,  a  Russia  that  would  flay  them  and  try  their 
hearts  anew  before  granting  them  the  peace  for  which 
they  had  fought.  A  large  proportion  of  these  men  were 
ill  and  wasted  physically.     Many  of  them  were  tuberculotic. 

The  needs  of  the  newly  released  Russian  prisoners  offered 
an  opportunity  to  bring  home  by  clear,  practical  demon- 
stration, the  fact  that  the  Red  Cross  had  come  there  to  help 
them.  Fortunately,  our  men  were  able  to  get  a  Government 
chartered  ship,  in  which  a  load  of  food  supphes,  medicines, 
and  drugs  was  soon  on  its  way. 

Encouragement,  also,  came  at  that  time  from  the  fact 
that  the  call  of  the  United  States  Consul  at  Harbin  could 
be  answered  and  was  now  going  forward  for  the  relief  of  the 
refugees  there.  There  were  swarms  of  them  —  a  heteroge- 
neous mass  of  bewildered  folk,  ranging  from  the  unkempt 
mendicant  classes  to  unfortunate  families  who  had  known 
comfort  and  prosperity  —  Russians,  Tartars,  dark,  round- 
eyed  children  from  the  Balkans  and  Armenia,  and  wailing 
Serbs,  utterly  destitute  and  forlorn. 


RUSSIA  275 

From  the  beginning,  the  purpose  of  the  Red  Cross  was  to 
help  the  people  of  Russia  without  regard  to  political  situa- 
tions, and  with  utter  indifference  to  the  policies  of  the 
political  party  that  happened  to  be  in  power.  Its  aim  was 
to  keep  clearly  before  the  Russians  the  fact  that  the  United 
States,  through  the  Red  Cross,  wanted  to  help  them.  Yet 
the  picture  of  Russia  is  a  difficult  one  to  paint,  so  many  vital 
things  were  happening  simultaneously.  It  was  while  the 
relief  ship  was  preparing  for  northern  Russia  that  a  new  and 
keenly  urgent  situation  arose  in  the  Far  East :  the  Czecho- 
slovaks had  developed  a  new  theater  of  war  and  stubborn 
fighting  was  going  on  along  the  railway  lines  in  Siberia  and 
along  the  Volga.  Light  was  beginning  to  filter  through  upon 
a  state  of  things  which  three  months  before  had  been  hope- 
lessly black.  By  July  15,  1918,  one  year  after  the  Red 
Cross  had  come  to  Russia,  United  States  Marines  and  regulars 
were  landing  at  the  Russian  ports;  the  Marines  at  Kola 
on  the  Murmansk  front ;  and  Infantry  from  the  Phihppines 
at  Vladivostok.  Allied  forces  were  in  that  city  guarding 
the  stores,  and  the  Czecho-Slovak  wounded  were  moving 
back  over  the  railway  in  increasing  numbers  into  hospitals  al- 
ready filled  to  overflowing.  The  United  States  cruiser  Brook- 
lyn, lying  in  Vladivostok  harbor,  was  temporarily  converted 
into  a  floating  hospital,  aboard  which  the  Czechs  were 
taken.  Civilian  conditions  among  the  refugees  driven  back 
from  the  fighting  zone  were  growing  steadily  worse. 

However,  in  the  present  emergency,  as  always,  the  letters 
from  the  Navy  and  State  Departments  and  the  cables 
received  by  the  Red  Cross  were  turned  over  to  the  Four- 
teenth Division,  and  the  ball  was  rolling  before  the  ink  on 
the  letters  was  fairly  dry.  The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  cabled 
to  the  Commander  of  the  Brooklyn  that  relief  was  on  the 
way.  It  was  a  day  and  a  week  of  the  swiftest  direct  action 
and  one  in  which  the  Fourteenth  Division  played  one  of  its 
most  conspicuous  parts. 


276    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

The  physician  in  charge  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital  in  Tokyo 
was  summoned  by  cable  to  take  charge  of  the  situation  in 
Vladivostok  at  the  head  of  a  relief  expedition,  while  the 
representative  of  the  Russian  Department  of  Commerce  at 
Vladivostok  was  requested  to  oversee  all  preparations  until 
the  expedition  should  arrive.  It  was  perhaps  the  most 
urgent  and  most  vital  emergency  work  that  the  year  had 
exacted  of  the  Red  Cross,  in  a  year  filled  with  vital  emer- 
gencies. There  was  fast  work,  too,  in  Tokyo  and  in  Vladi- 
vostok. The  Peking  Chapter  was  accumulating  supplies, 
while  money  poured  in  from  Americans  in  Shanghai,  Tient- 
sin, and  Harbin.  In  Tokyo,  the  assembling  of  the  hospital 
unit  was  hastened,  and  in  eight  days  the  staff  with  their 
supplies  landed  in  Vladivostok  ready  for  work. 

Out  of  all  this  energy  grew  the  American  Red  Cross  relief 
base  at  Vladivostok.  On  Russian  Island  —  a  dot  of  land 
two  and  a  half  miles  out  in  the  harbor,  commanding  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  busy  ship-dotted  bay  and  the  broad, 
blue  sweep  of  the  Sea  of  Japan  —  the  military  hospital  was 
located  in  buildings  already  there.  There  grew  up,  too,  in  an 
incredibly  short  time,  refugee  barracks  at  First  and  Second 
Rivers,  near  the  city,  capable  of  housing  2000  people,  with 
soup  kitchens,  sewing  rooms,  laundries,  and  clinics.  The 
sewing  rooms  gave  employment  to  hundreds  of  refugee 
women  who  were  able  and  eager  to  make  garments  if  the 
material  was  provided.  Sanitary  trains  were  equipped  to 
accompany  the  Czech  army  into  the  interior  and  a  rolling 
canteen  and  a  station  canteen  were  set  up  between  Harbin 
and  the  forward  lines,  in  which  many  American  women  cheer- 
fully volunteered  their  services. 

The  Far  East,  alarmed  at  having  the  war  suddenly 
brought  so  near,  was  thrilled  at  the  spirit  of  cooperation 
that  quickly  put  things  into  action.  The  Americans  were 
at  last  in  the  great  game,  and  the  war  and  the  Red  Cross 
had  come  three-quarters  of  the  way  around  the  world  to 


RUSSIA  277 

them.    The  great  drama  was  being  played  on  their  very 
doorsteps. 

It  was  August  and  the  beginning  of  the  Siberian  winter 
was  but  ten  weeks  away.  Refugees  were  still  coming  in, 
especially  from  the  district  east  of  Lake  Baikal,  pouring 
across  the  Siberian  steppes  to  the  Pacific  coast  where  the 
winter  was  a  bit  milder.  A  few  well-to-do  Russians  in 
Harbin  and  Vladivostok  volunteered  financial  help  and  the 
Russian  Red  Cross  still  stood  by  ready  to  render  what  assist- 
ance it  could.  The  food  and  clothing  survey  held  small 
hope  of  the  possibiUty  of  being  able  to  cope  with  the  needs 
of  the  coming  season,  and  heavy  winter  underclothing, 
overcoats,  shoes,  and  uniforms  were  needed  for  75,000  Czech 
troops. 

There  was  no  agency  to  meet  this  demand  except  the  Red 
Cross,  and  again  the  Chapter  machinery  was  set  in  motion. 
Within  a  few  days,  quantities  of  knitted  garments  made  by 
the  women  of  the  Mountain  and  Pacific  Divisions  were 
moving  out  of  San  Francisco  harbor.  This  shipment  in- 
cluded 250,000  pairs  of  socks  and  250,000  sweaters.  From 
New  York  came  a  shipment  of  a  quantity  of  underclothing 
and  mittens  and  150,000  pairs  of  shoes,  donated  by  the 
Russian  Embassy  at  Washington  for  distribution  by  the  Red 
Cross  in  Russia.  An  appropriation  of  $3,500,000  was  made 
by  the  Red  Cross  War  Council  to  carry  on  this  momentous 
work  of  relief. 

Some  idea  of  the  speed  with  which  this  work  went  for- 
ward may  be  had  when  one  realizes  that,  despite  the  distance 
from  the  base  of  supplies  and  the  broad  and  diversified 
program  of  the  Red  Cross  in  Siberia,  the  refugee  work  in 
Vladivostok  was  well  in  hand  by  the  middle  of  August. 
Red  Cross  had  in  its  charge  4000  children  and  60,000  adults 
scattered  through  that  corner  of  Manchuria  around  the  city 
of  Harbin,  where  the  Manchu  territory  seems  to  jut  up  into 
Siberia.    There  were  fourteen  American  and  seven  Japanese 


278    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

doctors  in  the  hospitals,  assisted  by  American,  Japanese, 
and  Chinese  nurses.  Fifty  additional  nurses  and  as  many 
physicians  were  summoned.  Altogether,  quite  a  plant  was 
growing  up  in  Vladivostok.  It  was  assuming  the  aspects 
of  an  industry.  The  whole  nature  of  the  old  Siberian  port 
had  undergone  a  change  —  a  relief  center  with  its  streets 
now  filled  with  refugees  from  all  points  of  Russia,  soldiers  in 
strange  uniforms,  and  its  hospitals  filled  with  the  wounded 
of  foreign  armies. 

Incidentally  no  one  failed  to  speak  of  the  Japanese  in 
terms  of  the  highest  praise.  Their  cooperation  in  the 
relief  situation  is  said  to  have  been  magnificent.  There 
was  nothing  they  could  do  to  help  that  was  not  eagerly  and 
promptly  done. 

In  time,  the  tide  of  war  changed.  Success  followed  the 
sword  of  the  valiant  Czechs,  and  early  in  September  the 
Red  Cross  was  called  upon  to  furnish  incidental  equipment 
for  360,000  Russian  and  Czech  soldiers,  while  the  Czech 
commander  asked  the  Red  Cross  to  take  entire  charge  of  the 
army  medical  service,  with  the  request  for  100  specialists, 
nurses,  and  dentists.  From  Russian  sources  came  new  stories 
of  need  beyond  Baikal  for  clothing,  farm  tools,  kerosene, 
window  glass,  and  general  household  items,  all  through  the 
devastated  regions,  left  bare  by  the  retreating  revolutionists. 
It  seemed  that  the  Russian  situation  was  no  sooner  in  hand 
than  new  situations  sprang  up.  For  such  circumstances, 
the  Red  Cross  must  always  be  ready.  The  success  of  the 
Czech  forces  had  great  moral  effect  on  the  vacillating 
Russians.  Thousands  of  them  rallied  around  the  victorious 
Czech  banner,  and  in  the  heart  of  Russia  the  world's  fortune 
once  more  swung  in  fine  balance.  Supplies  for  the  use  of 
the  American  troops  were  coming  in  from  the  United  States, 
and  there  went  into  the  interior  a  quantity  of  Red  Cross 
supplies  based  on  the  requirements  of  10,000  men  and  a 
500-bed  hospital. 


AN   AMERICAN    RED    c;R().S.S    DENTAL   STATION    IN    SERBIA,    THREE 
QUARTERS   OF   A    MILE    FROM    THE   FRONT    LINE   TRENCHES. 


RUSSIA  279 

In  the  meantime,  chaos  was  having  its  fling  in  Moscow  and 
the  city  found  itself  cut  off  from  northern  Russia,  facing  the 
winter  without  food,  fuel,  oil,  or  wool,  and  very  Uttle  clothing. 
Moscow  the  luxurious  was  perishing;  people  fell  in  the 
streets  from  hunger.  Soldiers  were  breaking  into  the  homes 
and  stripping  them  of  all  valuables  and  metals ;  telephone 
service  was  cut  off ;  street  transportation  ceased ;  only  blood 
and  tumult  from  day's  end  to  day's  end  remained,  while  in 
the  slow  Russian  mind  the  fear  that  they  had  been  tricked 
began  to  dawn. 

Hanging  on  in  the  midst  of  all  this  misgovernment  were 
the  Red  Cross  men  of  the  original  commission  who  had 
remained  despite  the  fact  that  spectators  in  Moscow  could 
see  no  hope  for  Russia's  regeneration,  and  irrespective  of 
the  orders  from  the  United  States  Department  of  State  for 
all  Americans,  official  or  otherwise,  to  leave  Soviet  Russia. 
Part  of  the  Mission  had  drifted  through  Finland,  and  thence 
back  to  the  Archangel  district  where  American  troops  were 
in  action ;  others  started  down  the  Volga  Valley  to  see  what 
the  Czechs  were  doing;  everywhere  they  found  not  only  a 
visible  lack  of  necessities  at  all  bases  of  supply  but  infinite 
difficulty  to  be  overcome  before  supplies  could  be  transported 
to  the  needy  quarters.  While  the  Red  Cross  workers  in 
European  Russia  were  doing  what  little  circumstances  would 
permit,  and  while  the  high-speed  relief  work  was  going  on  in 
Vladivostok,  a  Red  Cross  ship  laden  with  supplies  was 
making  its  way  to  Archangel  with  food,  medicines,  and  all 
manner  of  needs  for  the  soldiers  and  civilians  of  north  Russia 
and  a  new  Red  Cross  Commission  was  ordered  there  to  oper- 
ate with  the  Allied  and  American  troops  that  were  fighting 
their  way  south,  to  effect  a  junction  with  the  Czechs  with  the 
help  of  the  reconstituted  Russian  forces.  So  much,  at  any 
rate,  of  the  military  situation  must  needs  be  told,  in  order  to 
make  the  picture  of  Red  Cross  work  in  Russia  clear.  Half 
the  time,  it  was  like  working  in  a  bad  dream.    Unforeseen 


280     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

emergencies  constantly  arose,  apparently  insurmountable 
barriers  continually  presented  themselves.  Difficult  enough 
is  the  work  of  relief  in  time  of  calamity  and  of  war  when 
the  affected  population  is  ready  and  able  to  cooperate,  but  in 
Russia,  menaced  by  the  constant  threat  of  invasion  from  the 
west  and  the  revolutionists  that  placed  every  possible  obstacle 
in  the  path  of  law  and  order,  it  became  a  question  of  helping 
Russia  in  spite  of  herself;  and  never  had  the  Red  Cross 
endeavored  to  carry  out  its  purpose  in  the  midst  of  such 
adverse  circumstances. 

By  October,  the  new  Commission  for  north  Russia  was 
taking  hold  of  the  situation,  and  the  Red  Cross  supply 
ship  had  reached  port  just  in  time  to  relieve  the  food  con- 
ditions in  Petrograd,  where  with  the  Siberian,  Volga,  and 
Ukranian  food  supplies  cut  off,  starvation  again  threatened 
—  if  it  had  ever  been  wholly  overcome.  Fifty-seven  per 
cent  of  the  school  children  were  sick  —  in  some  districts 
as  high  as  eighty-seven  per  cent ;  infant  mortality  had  risen 
to  fifty  per  cent  and  degeneration,  riot,  and  death  were  wide- 
spread. The  city's  social  welfare  society  had  70,000  cases 
on  its  inadequate  hands,  many  of  them  homeless  school 
children.     Typhus  appeared  in  the  city. 

With  each  day  bringing  winter  nearer,  the  Red  Cross, 
in  addition  to  its  regular  relief  work  about  the  base  at 
Archangel,  launched  expeditions  into  hitherto  unreached 
parts  of  the  district.  A  Russian  trawler  loaded  with  food 
and  medical  supplies  went  along  the  White  Sea  coast  of  the 
Kola  peninsula  where  the  inhabitants,  in  virtual  isolation, 
were  facing  starvation  and  suffering  with  scurvy  and  other 
diseases  caused  by  undernourishment.  Later,  '' anti- 
typhus"  trains  financed  by  the  Allied  powers,  and  equipped 
and  managed  by  the  Red  Cross,  made  regular  runs  through 
the  typhus  infested  regions. 

So  the  Red  Cross  knocked  at  the  heart  of  Russia,  working 
steadfastly  through  the  terrible  cold,  giving  impartially  and 


RUSSIA  281 

with  largesse.  I  cannot  but  feel  that  the  problem  faced 
and  solved  so  well  under  the  most  trying  circumstances  was 
an  unique  one,  and  that  in  Russia,  above  all  other  places, 
the  Red  Cross  proved  its  worth  in  time  of  need  as  easily  as 
it  demonstrated  its  ability  to  organize  and  act  at  a  moment's 
notice.  Through  it  all  it  has  kept  faith  with  itself  and  with 
those  whom  it  has  served,  and  at  all  times  it  has  been  deeply 
appreciative  of  the  ready  and  effective  cooperation  of  other 
agents  in  the  field  —  the  Red  Cross  societies  of  Great  Britain 
and  Japan,  the  Russian  and  Czech  Army  Medical  Corps, 
the  Allied  Prisoners  Commission  of  a  somewhat  late  date ; 
and  finally,  but  not  the  least,  the  warm  responsive  welcome 
of  the  Russian  Red  Cross  and  the  Russian  people. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE   LEAGUE   OF   RED   CROSS   SOCIETIES 

The  Armistice  —  Demobilization  —  Conference  with  President  Wilson 
—  Formation  of  the  League  of  Red  Cross  Societies  —  Appointment 
of  Chairman  and  Other  Officers  —  Conference  at  Cannes  of  Medical 
Experts  —  Program  of  the  League  of  Red  Cross  Societies. 

LOOKING  back,  as  I  begin  my  last  chapter,  I  realize 
that  what  I  have  written  about  the  various  spheres  of 
Red  Cross  activities  in  Europe  must  seem  unsatisfactory  if 
not  obscure  and  meager.  Especially  is  this  the  case  in  the 
chapters  which  relate  to  Russia  and  the  Near  East  where, 
perhaps,  the  lack  of  concrete  details  is  more  marked  than 
anywhere  else.  In  fairness  to  myself  it  should  be  said, 
however,  that  I  have  endeavored  to  refer  to  every  important 
incident  which  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  War  Council 
from  those  distant  countries;  and,  therefore,  the  blame, 
if  blame  there  be,  should  rest  rather  on  the  very  nature  of 
the  undertaking,  which  made  it  inevitable  that  not  a  few  of 
the  splendid  efforts  of  our  relief  agencies  should  fail  to  attain 
their  rightful  place  in  our  annals  in  Washington. 

Thus  far,  patently,  my  task  has  been  to  deal  solely  with 
the  activities  of  the  Red  Cross  in  the  stress  of  war ;  but  the 
time  has  now  come  when  I  have  to  concern  myself  with  the 
peace  efforts  of  the  Red  Cross  which,  despite  any  opinion  to 
the  contrary,  must  be  regarded  as  scarcely  second  in  impor- 
tance if  not  more  difficult  than  those  of  war.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  it  is  becoming  every  day  more  and  more  apparent  that 
our  foreign  problem,  and  our  home  problem  as  well,  not  only 

282 


THE    LEAGUE    OF   RED   CROSS   SOCIETIES  283 

did  not  end  but  rather  began  when  the  bugles  sang  truce 
across  the  battlefields. 

In  that  infinitesimal  second  before  the  guns  were  suddenly- 
quiet  the  whole  war  effort  of  America  was  at  its  height.  Of 
the  intense  drama  of  that  moment  only  the  soldiers  at  the 
scene  can  tell;  and  they  are  strangely  silent.  To  them, 
however,  it  brought  a  laying  down  of  arms  and  a  marching 
dowTi  to  rest  billets ;  to  the  women  of  the  world  it  brought 
a  prayer ;  while  to  the  Red  Cross  it  marked  an  end  and  a 
beginning  —  a  visible  end,  at  least,  to  everything  connected 
with  actual  warfare,  and  a  beginning  of  the  fulfillment  of 
its  obligations  to  aid  the  feet  of  humanity  in  struggling  along 
the  pathway  of  enduring  peace. 

There  can  be  no  gainsaying  the  fact,  either,  that  on  the 
day  of  the  armistice  the  Red  Cross  was  doing  its  part  and 
extending  its  efforts  to  the  utmost.  The  home  office  at 
Washington,  \dsioning  months  of  acti\dty  ahead  of  it,  was 
one  of  the  busiest  places  in  the  National  Capitol ;  food 
suppUes  were  going  forward  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  and 
production  was  approaching  its  crest;  the  men  of  our 
foreign  commissions  were  in  action  or  going  into  action  in 
all  the  war-scarred  lands;  and,  specifically  and  most  im- 
portant of  all  perhaps,  the  Red  Cross  Commission  in  Paris, 
having  just  completed  a  thorough  reorganization  of  its  nine 
thousand  loyal  members,  was  equipped  to  render  maximum 
service  to  our  own  army  under  whatever  conditions  the 
future  exigencies  of  the  war  might  develop. 

In  view  of  this  great  concentration  of  relief  work  at  the 
time  of  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  it  would  be  folly  to  suppose 
that  the  Red  Cross,  like  the  soldiers,  could  lay  down  its  arms 
at  once.  Far  from  it.  Even  if  we  had  desired  to  follow 
such  a  course,  attainment  was  impossible  because  of  the 
tremendous  impetus  behind  us. 

Nevertheless,  little  by  little  the  thoughts  of  all  mankind 
began  to  turn  to  peace  and  the  reconstruction  of  the  world, 


284     THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

and  it  behooved  the  Red  Cross  to  adjust  itself  to  the  new 
conditions.  As  a  consequence,  therefore,  and  after  con- 
sultation with  the  heads  of  its  European  commissions,  the 
War  Council  proceeded  to  take  up  the  exceedingly  complex 
question  as  to  how  the  Red  Cross  might  complete  the  per- 
formance of  its  war  obligations  and  yet,  at  the  earliest 
moment,  transfer  its  effort  to  the  peace  organization  —  by 
no  means  a  small  undertaking,  when  one  takes  into  con- 
sideration the  fact  that  the  armistice  left  the  great  organi- 
zation intact,  with  all  its  energies  a-tingle,  and  all  its  unspent 
resources  free. 

But,  be  that  as  it  may,  consistent  with  the  results  aimed 
at,  there  followed  a  cutting-down  of  production  and  a 
gradual  diminishing  of  Red  Cross  work  in  the  actual  war 
areas ;  while  an  appreciable  reduction  took  place  in  the 
personnel  everywhere,  particularly  in  the  ranks  of  the  vol- 
unteer war-workers  who,  naturally,  were  compelled  to 
return  to  their  vocations  as  soon  as  possible.  Furthermore, 
it  was  decided  at  a  conference  between  the  President  and  the 
War  Council  that  they  should  retire,  and  March  1  was  set 
as  the  date  on  which  the  Executive  Committee  would  be- 
come, as  before  the  war,  the  permanent  directing  body  of 
the  American  Red  Cross.  In  this  connection  it  gives  me 
great  pleasure  to  state  that  it  was  most  fortunate  for  all 
concerned  that  Dr.  Livingston  Farrand  was,  finally,  pre- 
vailed upon  to  accept  the  chairmanship  of  this  committee. 

But  all  the  while  that  this  transfer  from  a  war-time  to  a 
peace-time  basis  was  taking  place,  not  a  few  of  those  who 
had  followed  Red  Cross  effort  during  the  war  were  deeply 
impressed  with  the  idea  that  it  was  their  duty  not  to  suffer 
the  slightest  diminution  of  the  humanitarian  spirit  which 
the  war  had  aroused  in  the  American  people  for  their  fellow- 
beings  throughout  the  world ;  that  it  was  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  an  obligation  on  the  part  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  to  make  certain  that  the  results  of  its  experience 


THE   LEAGUE    OF   RED   CROSS   SOCIETIES  285 

during  the  war  should  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  other 
Red  Cross  societies  of  the  world,  and  vice  versa. 

Hence,  when  I  presented  the  idea  of  adopting  a  peace-time 
program  of  Red  Cross  activity  to  President  Wilson,  presi- 
dent of  the  Red  Cross,  he  grasped  at  once  its  vast  impor- 
tance and  asked  me  to  concentrate  my  efforts  towards 
formulating  some  plan  which  would  accomplish  the  purpose 
so  much  to  be  desired.  Accordingly,  soon  after  this  in- 
terview I  went  to  Europe  where  I  called  into  conference 
the  Red  Cross  societies  of  the  more  important  countries 
with  a  view  of  developing  a  plan  of  coordination  and 
cooperation.  It  did  not  take  them  long  to  recognize  how 
vitally  important  it  was  for  the  future  of  the  world  that 
the  Red  Cross  should  have  a  peace-time  function ;  yet 
nowhere,  I  am  glad  to  say,  was  this  more  quickly  and 
clearly  realized  than  in  the  council  chamber  where 
President  Wilson,  M.  Clemenceau,  and  Premiers  Lloyd 
George  and  Orlando  met  daily  to  draw  up  the  final  treaty. 
They  saw,  as  did  every  student  of  the  situation,  that 
there  could  be  no  peace  until  the  peoples  were  able  to 
enjoy  peace  of  mind  as  well  as  peace  of  body;  that  no  set 
of  men  could  establish  with  pencil  and  paper  a  peace  which 
could  endure  unless  the  distress  throughout  the  world  could 
be  relieved.  And  so  it  came  about  that  in  the  revised 
Covenant  of  the  League  of  Nations  there  was  inserted  the 
following  paragraph  as  Article  XXV  :  — 

"The  members  of  the  League  agree  to  encourage  and  promote  the 
establishment  and  cooperation  of  duly  authorized,  voluntary,  national 
Red  Cross  organizations  having  as  their  purpose  the  improvement  of 
health,  prevention  of  disease,  and  mitigation  of  suffering  throughout  the 
world." 

And,  indeed,  as  a  whole  it  was  a  wretched  world,  a  ragged, 
frightened,  helpless  world  with  so  little  to  rebuild  with  and  so 
little  to  cling  to.  Perhaps  it  thought  that  the  transition  to 
peace  would  be  easy ;  perhaps  it  did  not  fully  grasp  the  extent 


286    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS  IN  THE   GREAT   WAR 

of  the  wastage  of  the  last  five  years ;  perhaps  it  did  not  realize 
the  hunger  and  pestilence  and  dearth  that  war  had  engen- 
dered. On  the  other  hand,  nothing  but  the  armed  conflict 
of  half  the  world  could  have  aroused  the  people  to  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  Red  Cross ;  nothing  but  the  agony  caused 
by  the  destruction  of  all  the  factors  of  existence  —  houses 
and  bridges,  roads  and  fields  and,  in  a  sense,  even  life  itself 
—  could  have  shown  the  need  of  a  universal  organization  for 
the  promotion  of  good  will  wherever  human  life  exists.  In 
a  word,  these  thoughts,  far  easier  to  feel  than  to  express, 
united  to  form  the  idea  of  the  League  of  Red  Cross  F  cieties 
which,  with  Article  XXV  of  the  League  of  Nations  as  a  sort 
of  international  charter,  came  formally  into  being  in  Paris, 
May  5,  1919.  There  were  present  delegates  from  the 
Red  Cross  organizations  of  the  United  States,  Great  Britain, 
France,  Italy,  and  Japan,  whose  representatives  constitute 
the  board  of  governors,  of  which  board  I  was  chosen  chair- 
man, and  by  which  Sir  David  Henderson  was  appointed 
director-general.  At  a  later  date  Professor  William  Rap- 
pard,  of  the  University  of  Geneva,  became  secretary- 
general. 

Invitations  to  join  the  league  have  been  issued  to  the  Red 
Cross  societies  of  the  following  countries :  Argentina, 
Australia,  Belgium,  Brazil,  Canada,  Chili,  China,  Cuba, 
Denmark,  Greece,  Holland,  India,  New  Zealand,  Norway, 
Peru,  Portugal,  Rumania,  Serbia,  South  Africa,  Spain, 
Sweden,  Switzerland,  Uruguay,  and  Venezuela.  Eventually, 
of  course,  it  is  confidently  expected  that  every  nation  in  the 
world  will  have  a  representative  in  the  League  of  Red  Cross 
Societies  which,  already,  has  begun  to  function  at  its  estab- 
lished headquarters  in  Geneva.  At  this  point,  therefore, 
if  only  to  avoid  any  misunderstanding,  I  think  it  advisable 
to  state  authoritatively  that  while  the  relations  between 
the  League  of  Red  Cross  Societies  and  the  League  of  Nations 
will  be  of  an  intimate  character  there  will  be  no  statuary 


THE   LEAGUE    OF   RED   CROSS   SOCIETIES  287 

connection,  since  the  League  of  Red  Cross  Societies  is 
essentially  a  voluntary  organization,  non-political,  non- 
governmental, and  non-sectarian. 

But  even  while  the  League  of  Red  Cross  Societies  was 
in  process  of  formation,  there  was  practically  no  limit  to 
the  reports,  which  came  from  every  quarter  of  Europe  and 
Asia,  that  the  distress  was  beyond  computation ;  that  the 
vitality  of  v/hole  nations  had  been  lowered  almost  to  the 
death  point ;  that  entire  populations  were  without  clothing ; 
and  that  it  was  certain  that  there  would  be  a  shortage  of 
fuel  and  food  at  the  approach  of  winter.  At  best,  it  was  a 
situation  so  appalling  that  the  governments  alone  could 
handle  it  satisfactorily,  even  if  the  governments  did  only 
the  major  part  of  the  work,  leaving  the  minor  part  to  the 
voluntary  organizations.  And  in  view  of  all  this  it  may  be 
pertinent  to  give  here  the  objects  of  the  League  of  Red 
Cross  Societies  as  set  forth  in  the  articles  of  association : — 

1.  To  encourage  and  promote  in  every  country  in  the  world  the 
establishment  and  development  of  duly  authorized  voluntary  national 
Red  Cross  organizations,  having  as  their  purpose  the  improvement  of 
health,  prevention  of  disease,  and  mitigation  of  suffering  throughout  the 
world,  and  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  such  organizations  for  these 
purposes. 

2.  To  promote  the  welfare  of  mankind  by  furnishing  the  medium  for 
bringing  M\'ithin  the  reach  of  all  peoples  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from 
present  known  facts  and  new  contributions  to  science  and  medical  knowl- 
edge and  their  application. 

3.  To  furnish  the  medium  for  coordinating  reUef  work  in  case  of  great 
national  or  international  calamities. 

As  will  readily  be  seen  the  plan  as  adopted  here,  taken 
as  a  whole,  is  a  conception  which  involves  not  merely 
efforts  to  relieve  human  suffering  but  purposes  to  pre- 
vent it ;  to  relieve  not  the  suffering  of  one  people  alone 
but  an  attempt  to  arouse  all  peoples  to  a  sense  of 
their  responsibility  for  the  welfare  of  their  fellow-beings 
throughout  the  world.    But  vast  as  is  the  scope  of  the 


288     THE   AMERICAN    RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT   WAR 

program  of  the  League  of  Red  Cross  Societies,  its  ap- 
plication, nevertheless,  is  simple,  practical,  and  scientific. 
It  could  hardly  be  otherwise  since  it  received  the  unanimous 
indorsement  of  an  unique  gathering  of  medical  experts  who 
at  the  invitation  of  the  Red  Cross  met  at  Cannes,  France, 
in  April,  1919.  This  conference,  by  the  way,  was  presided 
over  by  Professor  Roux,  the  successor  in  Paris  of  Pasteur, 
and  Dr.  William  H.  Welch,  of  Johns  Hopkins  University, 
and  also  included  many  of  the  foremost  men  of  America, 
France,  England,  Italy,  and  Japan.  All  in  all  it  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  gatherings  of  health  experts 
ever  held. 

These  experts  adopted  at  the  conference  a  minute  de- 
claring that  a  great  part  of  the  world-wide  prevalence  of 
disease  and  suffering  is  due  to  widespread  ignorance  and 
lack  of  application  of  well-established  facts  and  methods 
capable  either  of  largely  restricting  disease  or  preventing 
it.  "Altogether  we  have  carefully  considered,"  the  minute 
asserts,  "the  general  purpose  of  the  Committee  of  the  Red 
Cross  Societies  to  spread  light  of  science  and  warmth  of 
human  sympathy  into  every  corner  of  the  world ;  and  we 
are  confident  that  this  movement,  assured  as  it  is  at  the  out- 
set of  the  moral  support  of  civilization,  has  in  it  great  pos- 
sibilities of  adding  immeasurably  to  the  happiness  and  wel- 
fare of  mankind."  That  statement  represents  the  judgment 
of  men  who  are  qualified  to  speak  with  the  highest  authority 
on  the  subject  of  the  great  scourges  of  humanity,  such  as 
tuberculosis,  malaria,  venereal  diseases,  and  epidemics; 
men  who  are  authorities  on  preventive  medicine  and  who 
represent  the  knowledge  of  the  world  in  the  great  field  of 
child  welfare.  It  is  their  belief,  based  on  certain  scientific 
knowledge,  acquired  by  practical  experience,  that  these 
scourges  can  be  controlled,  or  even  eliminated,  by  organized, 
coordinated  effort  and  cooperation.  Moreover,  regarding 
the  proposed  plans,  the  consensus  of  these  experts  was  that 


THE   LEAGUE   OF   RED   CROSS   SOCIETIES  289 

they  should  be  put  into  effect  and  placed  at  the  disposal  of 
the  world  at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  They,  also, 
claimed  that  in  no  way  can  the  work  be  done  so  effectively 
as  through  the  agency  of  the  Red  Cross. 

Through  its  headquarters  at  Geneva,  the  League  of  Red 
Cross  Societies  plans  to  stimulate  peace-time  activities  of 
all  National  Red  Cross  Societies,  and  to  help  them  to  grow 
and  to  carry  out  the  program  of  the  Cannes  conference  for 
a  world-wide  public  health  campaign.  It  is  not  the  thought 
that  the  National  Red  Cross  Societies  themselves  should 
have  the  responsibilities  of  the  actual  work  of  safeguarding 
and  improving  public  health,  but  that  each  society  should 
stimulate  and  encourage  the  natural  agencies  for  such  work 
within  their  respective  countries,  including  the  departments 
of  health  of  their  governments ;  and  in  cases  where  such 
departments  do  not  exist,  the  societies  should  endeavor 
to  create  public  sentiment  for  the  establishment  of  such 
departments. 

Another  point  to  be  noted  is  that  the  League  of  Red  Cross 
Societies  will  supplement  the  work  of  the  International 
Committee  of  the  Red  Cross  of  Geneva,  acting  in  harmony 
with  it ;  in  no  way  will  it  supersede,  absorb,  or  conflict 
with  the  activities  of  national  societies,  but  on  the  contrary 
it  will  put  at  their  disposal  the  latest  knowledge  and  ap- 
proved practices  of  experts  in  public  health  and  preventive 
medicines  throughout  the  world.  In  all  probability  its 
immediate  functions  will  be  to  coordinate  relief  work  in 
combating  pestilence  such  as  typhus. 

In  conclusion,  I  wish  to  say  that  actual  experience  has 
demonstrated  beyond  all  doubt  that  the  people  of  all 
nations  are  quick  and  eager  to  seize  and  act  upon  knowledge 
that  leads  to  increased  happiness.  It  would  seem,  therefore, 
that  the  far-reaching  effects  of  the  program  of  the  League 
of  Red  Cross  Societies  may  be  measured  by  the  suffering 
which  exists  and  which  it  purposes  to  relieve.     Hand  in 


290    THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS   IN   THE   GREAT  WAR 

hand  with  the  world  campaign  for  the  betterment  of  public 
health  will  go  the  improvement  of  social  and  economic 
conditions  of  humanity,  and  a  protective  union,  as  it  were, 
with  all  working  together  in  a  spirit  of  kindly  consideration 
and  cooperation  for  the  common  good.  Surely  this  spirit 
of  service  among  the  peoples  cannot  fail  to  develop  a  new 
fraternity  and  sympathy  to  a  degree  not  dreamed  of  hitherto ; 
surely  the  League  of  Red  Cross  Societies  has  a  glorious 
future  in  the  field  of  human  kindness  ahead  of  it. 


APPENDIX 

THE   STORY   IN   FIGURES 

THE  Red  Cross  War  Council  was  appointed  May  10, 
1917.  It  went  out  of  existence  on  February  28th, 
1919. 

The  Fu-st  War  Fund  Drive  for  $100,000,000  was  held 
in  the  week  June  18  to  June  25,  1917,  and  resulted  in  reported 
subscriptions  of  approximately  $114,000,000.  The  Second 
War  Fund  Drive  was  held  in  the  week  May  18  to  May  25, 
1918,  and  resulted  in  reported  subscriptions  of  approximately 
$170,000,000.  Under  the  financial  plan.  Chapters  were 
permitted  to  withdraw  25  per  cent  of  their  collections  against 
War  Funds,  the  remaining  75  per  cent  being  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Red  Cross  War  Council. 

Up  to  the  conclusion  of  the  administration  of  the  War 
Council  there  had  been  collected  against  the  two  War 
Funds  a  total  of  approximately  $283,599,000,  of  which 
$229,799,000  had  been  credited  to  National  Headquarters 
and  $53,800,000  withdrawn  by  Chapters. 

As  the  figures  show,  the  total  revenues  of  National  Head- 
quarters and  Chapters  for  the  twenty  months  ending  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1919,  were  $400,178,000,  and  during  that  period 
the  total  expenditures  amounted  to  $272,676,000.  Thus 
when  the  War  Council  turned  over  the  affairs  of  the  Red 
Cross  to  its  Executive  Committee,  the  permanent  adminis- 
trative body,  the  total  resources  of  the  National  Head- 
quarters amounted  to  $110,756,000.  This  money  was 
represented  by  supplies  held  in  the  United  States  and  over- 
seas valued  at  $48,678,000 ;  cash  advances  amounting  to 
$12,834,000,  and  current  assets  amounting  to  $52,606,000. 
Against  the  foregoing  assets  there  were  appropriations,  which 
had  not  been  expended  and  yet  which  constituted  an  obUga- 

291 


292  APPENDIX 

tion,  amounting  to  $16,714,000.  Thus  the  total  net  resources 
of  National  Headquarters  were  $94,042,000. 

On  the  same  date  the  balance  in  the  hands  of  Chapters 
amounted  to  $33,460,000. 

The  accounts  of  the  Red  Cross  are  audited  by  the  War 
Department  and  the  full  report  is  annually  submitted  to 
Congress.  Details  of  receipts  and  expenditures  of  course 
are  covered  by  these  audited  reports,  which,  however,  only 
cover  the  period  of  successive  fiscal  years.  The  figures 
given  below  cover  the  finances  of  the  Red  Cross  for  the  period 
during  which  the  War  Council  was  in  control  of  its  affairs. 

AMERICAN  NATIONAL  RED  CROSS 

Revenues 
Twenty  Months  Ending  February  28,  1919 
National  Headquarters  — 
First  War  Drive  CoUections  ...    $  92,947,000.00 
Second  War  Drive  CoUections    .     .       136,852,000.00 

Membership  Dues 18,930,000.00 

Donations  of  Surplus  Funds  from 

Chapters 1,420,000.00 

Interest 3,157,000.00 

Other  Revenues 6,697,000.00 

Total     Revenues  —  National 

Headquarters $260,003,000.00 

Add  —  Fund  Balance,  June  30, 1917         3,135,000.00    $263,138,000.00 

Chapters  — 

Chapters'  Proportion  of  War  Drives  $  53,800,000.00 
Chapters'  Proportion  of  Membership 

Dues 18,440,000.00 

Chapters'  Proportion  of  Class  Fees  390,000.00 

Sales  of  Materials  to  Members  for 

Relief  Articles 20,290,000.00 

Contributions,  Legacies,  Gifts    .     .  9,580,000.00 

All  Other  Revenue 31,340,000.00 

Total  Revenues  —  Chapters    .    $133,840,000.00 
Add  —  Balance,  June  30,  1917  .     .          3,200,000.00  ;  $137,040,000.00 
Total  Revenues  —  National  Headquarters  and 
Chapters $400,178,000.00 


APPENDIX  293 

AMERICAN  NATIONAL  RED  CROSS 

Expenditures 
Twenty  Months  Ending  Februanj  28,  1919 

National  Headquarters  — 

War  Relief  in  France $57,207,000.00 

War  Relief  Elsewhere  Overseas    .     .      63,841,000.00 
War  Relief  in  United  States    .     .     .      28,978,000.00 

Disaster  Relief 939,000.00 

Collections,  Enrollments  and  Publi- 
cations         4,660,000.00 

Operation  of  Relief  Bureaus    .     .     .        2,727,000.00 
Operation  of  Bureaus  for  Handling 
Relief  Supplies,  also.  Transporta- 
tion in  United   States  of   Relief 

SuppHes 5,530,000.00 

Operation  of  Administrative  Bureaus 
at  National  and  Divisional  Head- 
quarters            4,360,000.00 

Other  Acti\dties 854,000.00 

Total  National  Headquarters $169,096,000.00 

Chapters  — 

Materials     Purchased     for     Relief 

Articles $60,660,000.00 

Canteen  Ser\dce     .......        2,320,000.00 

Equipment   of   MDitary   Hospitals, 

Ambulances,  etc 3,070,000.00 

Home  Service 8,790,000.00 

Miscellaneous  War  Relief    ....  480,000.00 

Spanish  Influenza  Epidemic  Relief 

Work 1,680,000.00 

Disaster  ReUef 520,000.00 

PubHc  Health  Nursing 380,000.00 

Transportation     of    Materials    and 

SuppUes 290,000.00 

General  Operating  Expenses    .    .    .        7,490,000.00 

All  Other  Expenditures 17,900,000.00 

Total  Chapters $103,580,000.00 

Total    Expenditures  —  National    Headquarters 

and  Divisions $272,676,000.00 


294  APPENDIX 

AMERICAN  NATIONAL  RED  CROSS 
Resoukces 

February  28,  1919 

National  Headquarters  — 
Supplies  — 

In  United  States $27,698,000. 

Overseas 20,980,000. 

Total $48,678,000. 

Cash  Advances  —  (To  Provide  Working  Capital) 

Overseas  Commissions $  9,509,000. 

Divisions  in  United  States      ....        2,994,000. 
Miscellaneous 331,000. 

Total $12,834,000. 

Current  Assets  — 

Cash  in  Banks $19,063,000. 

Cash  and  Securities  in  Hands  of  War 

Finance  Committee 31,703,000. 

Securities  Owned 1,206,000. 

Bills  Receivable 3,000. 

Miscellaneous  Accounts  Receivable     .  631,000. 

Total $52,606,000. 

Less  —  Accounts  Payable 3,362,000. 

$49,244,000. 

Total  Resources  Nat.  Hdqrs.  (Exc.  End.  Fund) .    $110,756,000. 

Less  —  Amount  Obligated  by  Appro- 
priations but  not  Expended 
on  February  28,  1919 16,714,000. 

Net  Resources  National  Headquarters  (Ex- 
cluding Endowment  Fund) $  94,042,000. 

Chapters  — 

Balance  February  28,  1919 .        33,460,000. 

Total  Resources  (Excluding  Endowment  Fund)      $127,502,000. 


APPENDIX  295 

Endowment  Fund 

Balance  July  1,  1917 $  1,361,000. 

Add  —  Revenues  20  Months  to  February 

28,  1919 1,072,000. 

Total $  2,433,000. 

Less  —  Income    Payments    to   National 

Organization,  A.R.C 106,000. 

Balance  —  February  28,  1919  .     .    $  2,327,000. 

The  following  statistics  may  also  be  of  interest.  They 
represent  the  great  volume  of  production  and  work  which 
the  American  Red  Cross  undertook  both  at  home  and 
abroad :  — 

Red    Cross    members:     adult,     20,000,000;      children, 

11,000,000 31,000,000 

Red  Cross  workers 8,100,000 

Relief  articles  produced  by  volunteer  workers 371,577,000  ^ 

Families  of  soldiers  and  saUors  aided  by  Home  Service  in 

the  United  States 500,000 

Refreshments  served  by  canteen  workers  in  U.  S.     .     .     .  40,000,000 
Nurses  enrolled  for  service  with  Army  or  Navy  or  Red 

Cross 23,822 

Kinds   of    comfort   articles   distributed  to  soldiers   and 

sailors  in  U.  S 2,700 

Knitted  articles  given  to  soldiers  and  sailors  in  United 

States 10,900,000 

Tons  of  relief  supplies  shipped  overseas 101,000 

Foreign  countries  in  which  the  Red  Cross  operated  ...  25 

Patient  days  in  Red  Cross  hospitals  in  France      ....  1,155,000 

French  hospitals  given  material  aid 3,780 

'Representing:  Surgical  dressings 306,967,000 

Hospital  garments 17,462,000 

Hospital  supplies 14,211,000 

Refugee  garments 6,329,000 

Articles  for  soldiers  and  sailors     .     .     .  23,329,000 

Unclassified 3,279,000 

Total 371,577,000 


296  APPENDIX 

Splints  supplied  for  American  soldiers 294,000 

Gallons  of  nitrous  oxide  and  oxygen  furnished  hospitals  in 

France 4,340,000 

Men  served  by  Red  Cross  canteens  in  France      ....  15,376,000 

Refugees  aided  in  France 1,726,000 

American    convalescent    soldiers    attending    Red    Cross 

movies  in  France 3,110,000 

Soldiers  carried  by  Red  Cross  ambulances  in  Italy  .     .     .  148,000 

Children  cared  for  by  Red  Cross  in  Italy 155,000 


INDEX 


^gean  Sea,  Red  Cross  work  on  islands    Basle,  care  of  evacuis  in,  188. 


of,  261. 

Allied  Prisoners'  Commission,  281. 

Ambulance  Corps,  Red  Cross,  21 ;  sec- 
tions absorbed  in  Army  Medical 
Corps,  141-142;  sections  established 
on  Italian  front,  213,  215. 

Ambulance  drivers,  heroism  of,  139-141. 

Ambulance  ship  Surf,  55-56. 

Ambulances,  for  naval  establishment,  61. 

American  Committee  for  Armenian  and 
Syrian  relief,  cooperation  of,  with 
Red  Cross,  255 ;  cable  from,  to  Red 
Cross  War  Council,  on  conditions  in 
Palestine,  261-262. 

American  Hostels  for  Refugees,  158. 

American  Library  Association,  50. 

American  Relief  Clearing  House  in  Paris, 
4. 

American  Society  for  Relief  of  French 
Orphans,   158. 

Annel,  story  of  hospital  at,  138-139. 

Archangel,  Red  Cross  ship  sent  to,  279 ; 
relief  work  base  at,  280. 

Armenians,  relief  work  among,  in  Pales- 
tine, 265. 

Athens,  work  of  Red  Cross  for  children 
in,  260-261. 

Austrians,  defeat  of,  by  Italian  army, 
215,  217-219. 

Baker,  Secretary,  requests  Red  Cross  to 
take  over  service  at  railroad  stations, 
39. 

Baltimore,  Institute  for  Blind  in,  130. 

Baltimore  export  warehouse,  report  of, 
120. 

Base  hospitals,  personnel  for,  supplied 
by  Red  Cross,  56-57 ;  fifty  furnished 
to  army  by  Red  Cross,  144 ;  enter- 
tainment supplied  at,  in  France,  by 
Red  Cross,  146-147. 

Base  Hospital  Units,  organization  of, 
81-83  ;  amount  spent  on,  83  ;  active 
work  of,  on  declaration  of  war,  83-85 ; 
abandonment  of  system,  85. 


Belgian  children,  in  Switzerland,  190. 

Belgians,  in  France,  work  for,  153-156. 

Belgiima,  appointment  of  special  Red 
Cross  department  for,  22 ;  German 
vandalism  in,  193  ;  heroic  qualities  of, 
193-194 ;  the  Red  Cross  to  the  rescue 
of,  194 ;  work  in,  organized  as  a  de- 
partment of  French  Commission,  195- 
196 ;  problem  of  li\'ing  quarters  for 
refugees,  196-197  ;  coordination  of  re- 
lief agencies  for,  197-198 ;  plight  of 
army  of,  198-199;  Red  Cross  relief 
work  for  army,  199-201 ;  Red  Cross 
work  supplementary  only  to  that  of 
Government  of,  201-202  ;  erection  of 
barrack  houses  in,  202  ;  stocks  of  food 
supplies  prepared,  203 ;  splendid 
work  done  by  Queen  of,  204-205; 
work  of  Countess  Van  Steen,  205- 
206 ;  other  private  enterprises  of  re- 
lief in,  206  ;  the  Colonies  Scolaires,  206. 

Beltiu,  Rimiania,  gruesome  conditions 
in,  236. 

Bernstorff,  Count  von,  departure  of, 
from  Washington,  4. 

Biddle,  General,  quoted,  225. 

Blind,  reeducation  of  the,  126-127; 
Institute  for  the,  in  Baltimore,  130. 

Brest,  base  hospitals  in,  57. 

British  Red  Cross,  cooperation  of,  with 
American  Red  Cross  in  Rumania,  245. 
See  Great  Britain. 

British  Relief  Fund  for  Palestine  and 
Syria,  262. 

Brooklyn,  U.  S.  cruiser,  converted  into  a 
floating  hospital,  275. 

Bureau  International  de  la  Paix,  180- 
181. 

Bureaus  under  Red  Cross  administration, 
38. 

CcBsar,  cargo  of,  bought  by  Red  Cross, 

255. 
California,  Junior  Red  Cross  activities 

in,  97,  98. 


297 


298 


INDEX 


Camp  Service,  Bureau  of,  38 ;    work  of, 

47-51 ;    among  American  soldiers  in 

Great  Britain,  228. 
Cannes,    conference  of  medical   experts 

at  (1919),  288. 
Canteen,  picture  of  a,  in  France,   134- 

135. 
Canteens,  Bureau  of,  38. 
Canteens,  rolling,  139,  213,  256 ;  Canteen 

Service,     vital     importance     of,     41 ; 

functions    defined    by    army    orders, 

41-42  ;    one  month's  statistics  of,  45 ; 

in  Great  Britain,  228-229. 
Canteen  workers,  34  ;  on  the  battlefront, 

136-137. 
Caporetto,  disaster  of,  208. 
Care  Committee  of  London  Chapter  of 

Red  Cross,  229. 
Cayeux-sur-Mer,  schools  established  at, 

206. 
Chapters,  division  of  National  Red  Cross 

into,   16-17 ;    description  of  work  of, 

23-36;   supplies  for,  115-118. 
Charlotte,  N.  C,  incident  at,  40. 
Chateau  des  Halles  at  Lyons,  173,  177. 
Children,  mobilization  of,  in  Junior  Red 

Cross,  93-106. 
Child  welfare  exhibit  at  Lyons,  173. 
Child  welfare  work,  extent  of,  as  carried 

on  by  Red  Cross  in  France,  168-178. 
Chinese  children  in  Junior  Red  Cross, 

101. 
Civil  Affairs  Department,  158. 
Coast  hospitals,  lack  of,  56. 
Colonial    Dames,    Society    of,    hospital 

ships  equipped  by,  55. 
Colonies  Scolaires  in  Belgiimi,  206. 
Comfort,  hospital  ship,  55. 
Communication   service   of   Red   Cross, 

134,     147-149 ;     enlarged    to    supply 

information  about  prisoners,  186 ;    in 

Great  Britain,  230. 
Compi^gne,  narrative  of,  137-138. 
CongS  du  Soldat  Beige,  200. 
Convalescent  houses  built  by  Red  Cross, 

50;   at  naval  stations,  61. 
Cooperative    stores    for    Belgians,    197, 

198. 
Czecho-Slovaks,   the,    272 ;    as   a  cause 

for  Red  Cross  activity  in  Russia,  273- 

274. 

Daniels,  Secretary,  letter  of,  concerning 

Naval  Auxiliaries,  58. 
Danish  Red  Cross,  182. 
Davison,  Henry  P.,  appointed  chairman 

of  War  Council  for  American  National 


Red   Cross,   7;    elected   chairman  of 

board  of  governors  of  Red  Cross  or- 
ganizations, 286. 
Decentralization   plan   of   management, 

16-17. 
Delaere,  Abbe,  Colonies  Scolaires  of,  206. 
Delano,  Jane  A.,  a  great  name  on  honor 

rolls  of  Red  Cross,  92. 
Dinard,  Red  Cross  work  at,  167-168. 
Director,  the  Red  Cross,  48-50. 
Disabled  soldier,  treatment  of  the,  122- 

131 ;    broad  and  liberal  provision  for, 

131. 
Disaster,  work  of  Red  Cross  nurses  in, 

80. 
Dispensaries  established  in  France,  157 ; 

traveling,  in  France,  169-170. 
Drive,   the  first,  of  the  American  Red 

Cross,  9-11 ;    the  second,  36. 
Drives  of  Red  Cross,  funds  realized  by, 

291-292. 
Dying  and  dead,  help  for  the,  150. 

Ecole  Joffre,  the,  128. 

Educational  system  of  Home  Service 
section,   19-20. 

Elizabeth,  Queen  of  Belgium,  great  work 
of,  for  children  and  aged,  204—205 , 
Red  Cross  gives  assistance  to,  206. 

Emergency  provision,  113. 

England,  Red  Cross  commissioners 
chosen  for,  21-22  ;  lessons  in  reeduca- 
tion from,  127-128.  ^ee  Great 
Britain. 

Evian,  Red  Cross  work  for  refugee 
children  at,  170-172 ;  German  policy 
in  discharge  of  refugees  through,  174- 
175. 

Exuma,  island  of,  Red  Cross  work  done 
in,  36. 

Families   assisted   by  Home   Service  of 

Red  Cross,  66  ff. 
Farrand,    Dr.    Livingston,    chairman   of 

Executive    Committee    of    American 

Red  Cross,  284. 
Fatalism,  Asiatic,  in  Russia,  269. 
Field  Director,   the  Red  Cross,  48-50; 

time  of,  given  to  home  problems  of 

men  in  service,  72. 
First  aid,  34. 
Follow-up    work    in    reeducation,    129- 

130. 
Foreign  commission,  appointment  of,  14. 
Foreign  Relief,  Bureau  of,  113. 
Fourteenth  Division,   story  of  the,  35; 

contribution  of,  in  second  drive,  36; 


INDEX 


299 


conspicuous  work  of,  for  Russia,  275- 
278. 

Foyer  du  Soldat  Beige,  199-200. 

France,  appointment  of  Red  Cross  Com- 
mission to,  14 ;  Red  Cross  nursing 
service  in,  89-91 ;  lessons  in  reeduca- 
tion from,  127-128 ;  the  future  of, 
163  ;  the  children  of,  163-164  ;  army 
of  refugee  children,  and  Red  Cross 
work  for,  164-178. 

French  Army,  help  given  to,  161. 

French  Commission,  Red  Cross  work  in 
Belgium  at  first  organized  as  a  de- 
partment of,  195-196. 

French  Goverrunent,  work  for  refugees 
by  Red  Cross  done  in  cooperation 
with,  154-156. 

Gas  gangrene,  serum  for,  146. 

Genoa,  Red  Cross  hospital  established 
at,  216. 

Germans,  anti-American  propaganda  of, 
in  Italy,  208-209  ;  underhanded  work 
of,  with  Russians  against  Rumanians, 
237-238 ;  work  of,  in  Greece  through 
Turks  and  Bulgarians,  259. 

Girl  heroes  at  Red  Cross  canteens 
abroad,  136. 

"Godmother  of  Good  Works,"  French 
name  for  American  Red  Cross,  158. 

Goldsboro,  N.  C,  incident  of  wounded 
soldier  at,  44-45. 

Graves  Registration  Service,  photog- 
raphers working  under,  150  n. 

Great  Britain,  Red  Cross  work  of,  222  ff. ; 
setting  up  of  American  Red  Cross 
organization  in,  224-225;  hospital 
work  of  American  Red  Cross  in,  226 ; 
hospitals  of  American  Red  Cross  in, 
226-227  ;  Camp  Service  among  Ameri- 
can soldiers  in,  228;  "Our  Day"  of 
British  Red  Cross,  231 ;  America's 
gift  to  British  Red  Cross,  231-232. 

Greece,  conditions  in,  when  war  opened, 
258-259;  work  of  Germany  in,  259; 
appeal  of  Greek  Red  Cross  for  help, 
259 ;  Red  Cross  assistance  in,  259- 
261. 

Grosvenor  Gardens,  London,  Red  Cross 
war  activities  at,  230-231. 

Guam,  Red  Cross  work  in,  35. 

Guatemala  earthquake,  the,  113. 

Halifax  disaster,  the,  113. 

Havre,  headquarters  of  Red  Cross  work 

for     Belgium     established     at,     195 ; 

Belgian  refugees  at,  196-197. 


Hawaii,  Red  Cross  work  done  in,  35. 

Henderson,  Sir  David,  director-general 
of  board  of  governors  of  Red  Cross 
organizations,  286. 

Holy  Land,  Red  Cross  in  the,  261-266 ; 
appropriations  of  War  Council  of  Red 
Cross  for,  266. 

Home  Communication,  Bureau  of,  134, 
147-149,  186;  work  of,  in  England, 
230. 

Home  dietetics,  34. 

Homes,  reaction  of  Junior  Red  Cross  on, 
100-101. 

Home  Service,  Bureau  of,  42 ;  functions 
of,  19-20 ;  individual  problems  in- 
volved in,  35 ;  lasting  effects  of,  in 
betterment  of  social  conditions,  77. 

Home  Service  institutes,  establishment 
of,  76. 

Honor  rolls  of  Red  Cross,  nurses'  names 
on,  92. 

Hospitals,  lack  of  coast,  56 ;  personnel 
for  base,  supplied  by  Red  Cross,  56- 
57 ;  naval  shore  abroad,  57 ;  for  re- 
construction and  reeducation  of  dis- 
abled soldiers,  124-125 ;  for  Belgian 
soldiers,  201 ;  of  American  Red  Cross 
in  Great  Britain,  226 ;  in  Serbia,  256. 
See  also  Base  hospitals. 

Hospital  service  in  the  Army,  142-146. 

Hospital  ships  equipped  through  Red 
Cross,  55-56. 

Hospital  supplies,  preparation  of,  by 
Red  Cross  Chapters,  26-33 ;  securing 
of,  for  Rumania,  243-245. 

Hospital  supply  service,  144-146. 

Hurry  calls,  113-114. 

Incorporation  of  American  Red  Cross,  1. 
Influenza  epidemic  in  Italy,  216. 
Institute  for  Blind,  in  Baltimore,  130. 
Institute  for  Crippled  and  Disabled  Men, 

New  York  City,  128-129. 
Insurance  of  Red  Cross  shipments,  121. 
International   Agency    for    Prisoners   of 

War,  180. 
International    Committee    at    Geneva, 

179  ;   awarded  peace  prizes,  180. 
Ireland,  emergency  stations  in,  225. 
Italian   children   in   Junior   Red   Cross, 

101. 
Italian   premier,    address   of,    110;     ad- 
vises concerning  coming  of  Red  Cross 

representatives,  214. 
Italian  soldiers,  care  of,  in  Switzerland, 

188-189. 
Italy,    Red   Cross   Commission   to,    21 ; 


300 


INDEX 


Red  Cross  nursing  service  in,  W\ 
the  Red  Cross  in,  207-208 ;  the  dis- 
aster of  Caporetto,  208 ;  Emergency 
Commission  sent  to,  from  France, 
208 ;  refutation  of  German  propa- 
ganda in,  208-209 ;  cooperation  of 
Red  Cross  with  Italian  authorities, 
209-211 ;  arrival  of  permanent  Red 
Cross  Commission  in,  211;  results  of 
widespread  activity  of  Red  Cross,  211- 
213 ;  ambulance  sections  and  rolling 
kitchens  established  by,  213-214; 
aid  given  to  soldiers'  families  in,  214- 
215;  influenza  epidemic  in,  216; 
establishment  of  Red  Cross  hospital 
at  Genoa,  216;  Red  Cross  aid  to 
American  soldiers  in,  216-217;  de- 
feat of  Austrians  by  forces  in,  217- 
219;  care  for  starving  civilian  popu- 
lation of,  219-221 ;  Department  of 
Tuberculosis  in,  221 ;  Red  Cross  ac- 
tivities turned  over  to  Italian  au- 
thorities with  cessation  of  hostilities, 
221. 

Japanese,  cooperation  of,  in  relief  work 
in  Siberia,  278. 

Japanese  children  in  Junior  Red  Cross, 
101-102. 

Jassy,  conditions  in,  in  1917,  235 ;  food 
brought  to,  by  American  Red  Cross, 
241 ;  relief  work  in,  247  ;  Red  Cross 
canteen  at,  and  its  work,  248 ;  scene 
in  public  square  of,  upon  departure  of 
Red  Cross  Commission,  251. 

Jerusalem,  work  of  British  engineers  in, 
262-263 ;  Red  Cross  Commission  in, 
263-264 ;  character  of  relief  work  in, 
264-265 ;    care  of  orphans  in,  265. 

Junior  Red  Cross,  18 ;  creation  of  the, 
93 ;  reasons  for,  93-96 ;  account  of 
activities  of,  97-100 ;  reaction  of,  on 
the  homes,  100-101 ;  notes  from  re- 
ports on  work  of,  in  schools,  103- 
104 ;  permanent  beneficial  results  of, 
105-106 ;  splints  for  hospital  use 
made  by,  146. 

Knitting,  machines  for,  26. 

Labor,  Department  of,  cooperation  of 
Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Educa- 
tion and,  124. 

League  of  Red  Cross  Societies,  formation 
and  objects  of,  286-288 ;  future  plans, 
of,  289-290. 

Lenhi  County,  Idaho,  Junior  Red  Cross 
work  in,  98. 


Letter-writing  for  soldiers,  148. 

Leysin,  hospital  for  tuberculous  Serbian 
officers  at,  187-188. 

Library  Committee  of  American  Red 
Cross  in  London,  230. 

Lieth,  base  hospital  in,  57. 

Lighthouses,  Red  Cross,  20. 

Liverpool,  American  Red  Cross  hospital 
in,  226. 

Livres  des  Soldats  Beiges,  199. 

London,  base  hospital  near,  57;  St. 
Catherine's  Lodge  in,  226;  naval 
hospital  in  Park  Lane,  227 ;  hospital 
in  Kensington  Palace  Gardens,  227 ; 
Red  Cross  workrooms  in,  229 ;  ac- 
tivities of  American  Red  Cross  in, 
229-231. 

Los  Angeles,  Junior  Red  Cross  in,  97. 

"Lost  children  of  the  Urals,"  the,  273. 

Lyons,  child  welfare  exhibit  at,  173. 

McKey,  Lieutenant  Edward,  work  of, 
and  impression  made  by,  214.  " 

Madeira    Islands,    relief    work   for    the,     | 
113-114. 

Marie,  Queen  of  Rumania,  237 ;  sad 
and  noble  figure  of,  239 ;  work  of 
mercy  done  by,  239-240;  story  of 
her  country's  misfortune  told  by, 
240 ;  cablegram  from,  to  War  Council 
at  Washington,  250  ;  members  of  Red 
Cross  Commission  decorated  by,  250. 

Marines,  United  States,  in  Russia,  275. 

Medical  Advisory  Committee,  appoint- 
ment of,  21. 

Medical  and  Surgical  Service  of  the 
Navy,  54. 

Medical  Corps,  Army :  effectiveness  of, 
133-134 ;  cooperation  of  Red  Cross 
with,  134 ;  ambulance  sections  ab- 
sorbed in,  141-142. 

Membership  drive  of  1917,  17-18. 

Mercy,  hospital  ship,  55. 

Military  Relief,  department  of,  38. 

Minneapolis,  Junior  Red  Cross  in,  97. 

Mirman,  Pr6fet,  great  work  of,  for 
refugees,  166-168. 

Moldavia,  conditions  in  province  of,  235. 

Moscow,  Red  Cross  mission  in,  271-272, 
279. 

Motor  Corps,  Red  Cross,  20-21 ;  women 
enrolled  in,  33-34. 

Motor  Service,  Bureau  of,  38. 

Motor  trucks  for  naval  establishment,  61. 

Nancy,  the  workers  of,  167. 
Nationalization  of  American  Red  Cross,  1. 


INDEX 


301 


Naval  Affairs,  Red  Cross  Bureau  of,  22. 

Naval  Auxiliaries,  organization  of,  58. 

Naval  Reserve  service,  53-55. 

Naval  shore  hospitals  abroad,  57. 

Naval  stations,  camp  service  in,  61-62. 

Navy,  Red  Cross  cooperation  with  the, 
52-64. 

Nesle,  Red  Cross  work  at,  169. 

New  York  export  warehouse,  report  of, 
120. 

Nurses,  Red  Cross,  78-79 ;  enrollment 
of,  79-80 ;  called  in  cases  of  disaster, 
80;  mobilization  of,  in  1917,  81; 
in  Base  Hospital  Units,  81-83 ; 
passage  of,  into  military  establish- 
ment, 86 ;  account  of  war  activities 
of,  86-91 ;  tributes  of  foreign  surgeons 
to,  91 ;  names  of,  on  honor  rolls  of 
Red  Cross,  92. 

Nursing,  Department  of,  21. 

Organization,    Red    Cross   problems   of, 

107-108. 
Orlando,  Italian  Premier,  110,  214. 
Otranto  disaster,  225. 
"Our  Day"  of  British  Red  Croas,  231- 

232. 

Paignton,  England,  American  Red  Cross 

hospital  at,  226. 
Palestine,  Red  Cross  activities  in,  261- 

266. 
Paris,  American  Relief  Clearing  House 

in,     4 ;      conference     of     Red     Cross 

societies  in  (1919),  286. 
Park  Lane,  London,  naval  hospital  in, 

227. 
Peking  Chapter  of  Red  Cross,  276. 
Perignan,    charity   for   refugee   children 

founded  by,  166. 
Pershing,     General,     advises     "backing 

up"  the  French,  13. 
Personnel    Department    of    Red    Cross, 

107-108. 
Petrograd,    destitute    children   in,    271 ; 

Red  Cross  appropriation  for  officers' 

and  soldiers'  families  in,  271. 
Philippine  Islands,  Red  Cross  work  done 

in,  35. 
Photographs   of    graves   taken    by    Red 

Cross,  150  n. 
Plattsburg  Barracks,  hospital  for  shell- 
shock  patients  at,  131. 
Poison-gas  serum,  146. 
Porto  Rico,  Red  Cross  work  done  in,  35, 

36. 


Port  Said,  Red  Cross  takes  charge  of 
Armenian  refugees  at,  265. 

Prison  camps,  inspection  of,  by  delegates 
from  Switzerland,  181-182 ;  number 
and  location  of,  in  Germany,  190-191. 

Prisoners  of  war,  help  for,  149,  191-192; 
Swiss  activities  in  interest  of,  ISO- 
ISO  ;  Serbian,  in  Austria  and  Bulgaria, 
256-257 ;    Russian,  274. 

Publicity,  Red  Cross  Department  of, 
22. 

Purchases,  Bureau  of,  111-112. 

Queenstown,  base  hospital  in,  57. 

Railroad  stations.  Red  Cross  service  at, 
39. 

Rappard,  Professor  William,  secretary- 
general  of  board  of  governors  of  Red 
Cross  organizations,  286. 

Ravitaillement  service,  appropriation  of 
Red  Cross  for,  144. 

Receipt  cards,  prisoners',  185. 

Red  Cross,  American :  incorporation 
and  nationalization  of,  1 ;  sailing  of 
first  mercy  ship,  2 ;  increase  in  mem- 
bership of,  3-4 ;  relief  work  of,  through 
American  Clearing  House  in  Paris,  4 ; 
activities  of,  upon  declaration  of  war 
on  Germany,  6-7 ;  appointment  of 
War  Council  for,  7 ;  first  drive  of,  for 
$100,000,000,  9-11;  plans  and  proj- 
ects of  War  Council  at  opening  of 
1917,  12-13 ;  appointment  of  foreign 
commission,  14 ;  scrupulous  care 
taken  by,  in  spending  people's  money, 
16 ;  decentralization  plan,  16-17 ; 
membership  drive  of  1917,  17-18; 
the  Junior  Red  Cross,  IS ;  Home 
Service,  19-20 ;  work  of,  directly  for 
soldiers,  20-21 ;  Motor  and  Am- 
bulance Corps,  Department  of  Nurs- 
ing, etc.,  21 ;  commissions  to  foreign 
countries,  21-22;  Department  of 
Supplies  and  Transportation,  22 ; 
description  of  work  of  Divisions  and 
Chapters,  23-36;  the  Fourteenth 
Division,  36 ;  work  for  the  soldier 
at  home,  37  ff. ;  cooperation  of,  with 
the  Navy,  52  ff. ;  department  of  Home 
Service,  65-77 ;  work  of  nurses,  78- 
79 ;  problems  of  organization,  107- 
108 ;  Personnel  Department,  107- 
108 ;  operations  of  Department  of 
Supplies  and  Transportation,  108  ff. ; 
purchases  of,  combined  with  those  of 
War  Department,  114-115;    work  for 


302 


INDEX 


disabled  soldiers,  122-131 ;  work  on 
the  battiefront,  132-150;  "backing 
up  the  French,"  151-162;  work  for 
the  children  of  France,  163-178; 
Switzerland  as  a  central  station,  179- 
192  ;  work  of,  for  Belgium,  195-206 ; 
work  in  Italy,  207-221 ;  work  of 
British  Red  Cross,  222  ff . ;  work  in 
Rumania,  233-251 ;  work  in  Serbia, 
254-258 ;  work  in  Greece,  259-261 ; 
work  for  Russia,  274-281 ;  statistics 
of  work  of,  from  May,  1917,  to  Febru- 
ary, 1919,  291-296. 

Red  Cross,  relief  ship,  80. 

Red  Cross  Institute  for  Crippled  and 
Disabled  Men,  128-129. 

Red  Cross  Societies,  League  of,  formed, 
286-287. 

Reeducation  of  disabled  soldiers,  123- 
129  ;   Home  Service  in,  129-130. 

Refugees,  work  for,  153-159;  discharge 
of,  by  Germans,  through  Evian,  170, 
174-175 ;  French  system  in  care  of, 
175-176 ;  particulars  of  American 
Red  Cross  assistance,  176-178. 

Relief  Clearing  House,  American,  in 
Paris,  160. 

Repos  d' Elizabeth,  Queen  of  Belgium's 
charity,  205. 

Research  bureau  maintained  by  Red 
Cross,  134. 

Rest  stations  behind  battiefront,  135- 
137. 

Rolling  canteens,  139 ;   in  Serbia,  256. 

Rolling  kitchens  on  Italian  front,  213- 
214,  215. 

Roman,  hospital  at,  246,  247-248. 

Rome,  Red  Cross  Medical  Warehouses 
in,  213. 

Rose,  Mile,  de,  charity  for  refugee 
children  conducted  by,  166. 

Roux,  Professor,  chairman  of  conference 
of  Red  Cross  Societies,  288. 

Rumania,  Red  Cross  Commission  to,  21 ; 
appalling  conditions  in,  233-234 ; 
American  Red  Cross  fights  disease  in, 
235 ;  program  of  first  Red  Cross 
mission,  239 ;  noble  part  taken  by 
Queen  Marie,  239-240 ;  story  of,  told 
by  Queen,  240 ;  food  supplies  brought 
in  from  Russia,  241 ;  excerpt  from 
newspaper  of,  on  feeding  of  starving 
people  by  Red  Cross,  242 ;  securing 
of  hospital  supplies  for,  243-245 ; 
departure  for  America  of  five  members 
of  Commission,  245;  work  of  civilian 
relief  in,  245-247  ;  hospital  at  Roman, 


246,  247-248;  manufacture  of  cloth- 
ing, from  material  secm-ed  from 
Russia,  248 ;  forced  surrender  of 
cause  of,  249 ;  dismissal  of  Allied 
agents  of  relief  by  order  of  Germans, 
250 ;  departure  of  Red  Cross  Com- 
mission, 250-251. 

Rural  schools.  Junior  Red  Cross  in,  102. 

Russia,  Red  Cross  Commission  to,  21 ; 
relief  of  distress  in,  114;  food  secured 
by  Red  Cross  from,  for  Rumania, 
241 ;  material  for  clothing  secured 
from,  248 ;  magnitude  of  problem 
presented  by.  267-268 ;  the  Red  Cross 
in,  in  1917,  268-271;  the  Trans- 
Siberian  railway,  272-273;  the 
Czecho-Slovaks,  273-274;  Red  Cross 
relief  work  for,  275-281. 

Russian  Island,  Red  Cross  hospital  on, 
276. 

Russians,  relief  given  to  destitute,  187 ; 
conduct  of,  in  Rumania,  235-236, 
249 ;  virtual  betrayal  of  Rumanians 
by,  237-238. 

St.    Catherine's    Lodge,    London,    Red 

Cross  hospital  at,  226. 
Salisbury  Court,  Red  Cross  hospital  at, 

226-227. 
Saloniki,    base  of   Red   Cross  work  for 

Serbia,  254. 
San  Diego,  relief  work  for  survivors  of, 

62-63. 
Sanitary  Service,  Bureau  of,  38 ;    work 

of,  45-47. 
Sascut,    Rumania,    distribution   of   food 

at,  246. 
School  Auxiliary,  the,  96. 
Schools,  correlation  of  Junior  Red  Cross 

and,  100. 
Scientific  triumphs  during  the  war,  146. 
Searchers,  work  of,  for  Bureau  of  Home 

Communication,  147-149. 
Serbia,  Red   Cross  Commission  to,   21 ; 

Red  Cross  work  in,  80-81 ;    hospital 

for  tuberculous  officers  of,  in  Switzer- 
land,   187-188 ;    role  of,   in  the  war, 

253 ;    account  of  Red  Cross  work  in, 

254-258. 
Serbian  Red  Cross,  the,  256. 
Shell-shock  patients,  hospital  for,   130- 

131. 
Shipment  of  Red  Cross  supplies,  117-121. 
Sims,  Admiral,  praises  of  Red  Cross  by, 

63-64. 
Social  disease,  measures  taken  in  regard 

to,  47. 


INDEX 


303 


Solace,  hospital  ship,  55. 

Sphagnum  moss,  use  of,  in  Red  Cross 
workrooms,  26. 

Staten  Island  canteen,  44. 

Statistics  of  Red  Cross  work  from  May, 
1917,  to  February,  1919,  291-296. 

Stores,  Bureau  of,  115-118. 

Strathpepper,  base  hospital  at.  57. 

Supplies  and  Transportation,  Department 
of,  22,  108  ff. 

Surf,  ambulance  ship,  55-56. 

Surgical  dressings,  preparation  of,  26- 
33  ;   supplying  of,  59-60. 

Surgical  wards  in  Red  Cross  canteens, 
43. 

Switzerland,  International  Committee  in, 
179 ;  Red  Cross  actixaties  in,  180 ; 
work  of,  for  prisoners  of  war,  180- 
185 ;  assistance  given  to,  by  American 
Red  Cross,  185-187 ;  evacue  problem 
in,  188 ;  Italian  problem  in,  188- 
189 ;   care  of  Belgian  children  in,  190. 

Temps,  Paris,  tribute  to  American  Red 

Cross  by,  161-162. 
Tompkins^alle    Naval    Station    canteen, 

44. 
Toul,  refuge  for  children  at,   153 ;    Red 

Cross  work  at,  167. 
Training  courses  in  home  service,  76. 
Transportation,  Bureau  of,  118-119. 
Trans-Siberian   railway,    importance   of, 

to  Red  Cross  activity  in  Russia,  272- 

273. 
Transylvania,   Rumania's  hopes  for  re- 
covery of,  234. 
Trieste.  Red  Cross  work  at,  219-220. 
Tuberculosis,   Department  of,  in  Italy, 

221. 
Tuberculous     children,     work     for,     in 

France,  168-170. 
Tuberculous    Serbian    officers,    hospital 

for,  at  Leysin,  187-188. 
Tuberculous  soldiers,  treatment  of,  130. 
Tuscania,  sinking  of,  the,  224. 

Vaccination  by  Sanitary  branch  of  Red 
Cross,  46—47. 

Van  Steen,  Countess,  heroic  work  of, 
205-206. 

Venereal  diseases,  measures  taken  in  re- 
gard to,  47. 


Vinckem,   Belgium,   Queen's  school   at, 

206. 
Virgin  Islands,  Red  Cross  work  done  in, 

35. 
Viviani,    Madame,    refuge    for    children 

founded  by,  166. 
Vladivostok,  American  Red  Cross  relief 

base  at,  275,   276 ;    refugee  work  in, 

276-278. 
Vocational  Education,  Federal  Board  for, 

124. 
Vocational  Rehabilitation  Law,  123. 
Vodena,  refugee  work  of  Red  Cross  in, 

256. 

War  Council  for  American  National 
Red  Cross,  appointment  of,  7 ;  two 
ideals  held  by,  8 ;  plans  of,  in  spring 
of  1917,  12-13 ;  precautions  of,  in 
expenditiu"e  of  money,  16  ;  shipments 
of  hospital  supplies  and  food  to 
Riunania  by  order  of,  244-245 ,"  re- 
tirement of,  284 ;  statistics  of  work 
accomplished  by,  291-296. 

Warehousing  in  connection  with  Red 
Cross  administration,  50-51 ;  in 
France,   159-161. 

War  Fund  Drives,  amounts  realized  by, 
291-292. 

Washington  Union  Station  canteen,  43. 

Welch,  Dr.  William  H.,  at  conference  of 
Red  Cross  Societies,  288. 

Wharton,  Mrs.  Edith,  Tuberculeux  de  la 
Guerre  founded  by,  158. 

Wilson,  President,  appeal  of,  in  behalf 
of  Red  Cross,  4 ;  declaration  of  war 
on  Germany  by,  6 ;  War  Council  for 
American  National  Red  Cross  ap- 
pointed by,  7. 

Women,  work  of,  in  Red  Cross  Chapters, 
25-33 ;  in  Red  Cross  Motor  Corps, 
33-34. 

Wulveringhem,  Belgium,  hospital  at, 
198. 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  216. 
Ytile  parties  at  base  hospitals  in  France, 
146-147. 

Zimmermann  note,  the,  5. 
Zionist  Unit  for  rehef  of  suffering  Jews, 
265. 


Printed  In  the  United  States  of  America. 


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